Spiced Chicken with Sautéed Collards and Peppers

Hello folks! It's way too early for me to be up blogging, but alas... here I am. I woke up this morning still thinking about the amazing dinner we had last night. I had to share! It was delicious, colorful and real simple.

Spiced Chicken with Sauteed Collards and Peppers

You will need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and black pepper
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 large bunch collard greens, thick stems removed and sliced crosswise
(If you can't find collard greens at the market, chard or spinach will work just fine.)

Pre-heat your little oven to 400F. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While it is heating, season the chicken with the cumin, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Once the oil is nice and hot, drop the chicken seasoned side down into the oil.

Cook until those babies are nice and golden brown, 3-4 minutes per side. Dear Lordy, these spices smell insanely good. The cumin is so strong and spicy... the aroma will make you so hungry!

Transfer chicken to a baking sheet. (I covered mine with aluminum foil first- the less dishes to do the better.) Roast chicken until cooked through, about 6 to 7 minutes.

While those are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until soft about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
There is nothing better than the smell of frying peppers and onions. Woo hee!
(Forgive the quality of my photos. They were taken with my EnV. I was too lazy to break out the fancy camera.)

Meanwhile thinly slice the collard leaves crosswise. I learned to do this while working as a prep chef at Cafe Prasad in Boulder, Colorado. Basically, all you want to do is lay the leaves flat and face down. Using a knife, cut out the stems. Roll leaves and chiffonade. Very easy.
Once the collards are sliced, add to the sauteed peppers along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing, until just tender- you don't want the collards to get smooshy- 2 to 3 minutes.
Toss the peppers and collard greens together. The smell is sweet and delicious!
Finally- serve the roasted chicken over this beautiful concoction.
Bon appetito! Enjoy!

1 serving= 6 points