All is Grace

50 States of Cast Iron......New Mexico

    A dear Facebook friend pulled me into a very interesting project called 50 States of Cast Iron.  A particular cast iron pan, christened Wilson, has been traveling about the country from state to state and I was given the opportunity to host him for my beloved state of New Mexico. He will be hosted in all 50 states and then his recipe book will be published and the proceeds will go to charity.

  Awesome idea and as far as I know it is the brainchild of the owner of Wilson, a man named Josh Wilemon.

  Wilson arrived in New Mexico last week with his notebook containing recipes from each of the states that he has visited thus far. Today he will be packed up and sent on his way to the great state of Michigan. Thank you for dropping in to visit with us Wilson and may all your travels be blessed with good food and great company.

For our time with Wilson and our submitted recipe in his book we used the following recipe. It was my first time cooking this and it came out awesome! This is one that I will for certain be cooking again and I give thanks to the original poster for sharing this delicious recipe!

The link to the  original recipe can be found at the bottom of this post. We modified it slightly and here is the exact recipe we used to cook in Wilson.

Southwestern Chicken and Sweet Potato Skillet.

  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil. I used Harissa Infused olive oil from the Albuquerque Olive Oil Company.
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 2 Teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons New Mexico Hatch chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 10 ounces frozen corn, thawed
  • 2 bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced, divided
  • 1 (10 ounce) can rotel tomatoes with green chilies
  • 4 New Mexico Hatch green chilies
  • 1 - 1½ cups low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro, plus more to top
  • 1½ cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
  • Guacamole, to top, optional
    • Directions
    1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the skillet cook until browned but not cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the chicken from heat and set aside.
    2. Heat the remaining tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Once hot, add in the sweet potato and brown, about 12-14 minutes.
    3. Add the garlic, seasonings, corn, bell peppers, and half of the green onions to the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add in the tomatoes with green chilies and 1 cup chicken stock. Return the chicken to the skillet and stir well to combine.
    4. Cook for 5 more minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and a tablespoon of water to form a slurry. Add the cornstarch to the liquid in the skillet, mix in the black beans and cilantro, and cook until the sauce has thickened and the black beans are warmed. If the mixture is too thick, add up to ½ cup more of chicken stock.
    5. Set oven to broil. Top the skillet with the shredded cheese and broil until the cheese is melted and just beginning to turn golden in spots.
    6. Sprinkle the skillet with additional green onion and cilantro. Serve warm and top with guacamole and or sour cream.
    7. Serve with tortillas.  

    :

        Wilson spent his off time hanging out with our beloved and well used cast iron pan. The view from our kitchen and dining room looks out upon the beautiful Sandia Mountains of New Mexico. I think he has enjoyed the view and the conversation.