Soul Dust Chicken Skillet

Every mom needs a few recipes in her arsenal that she can do in her sleep. This is one of my favorites, and I've put it to good use over the last few months as I've had one medical hiccup after another.

I came across the Soul Dust recipe on Kayotic Kitchen. It's a dry rub and won rave reviews when we tested it on the grill this summer. It started me brainstorming how else I could use it. I'm been playing around with ideas for awhile, and tonight's dinner was so delicious I had to write it down so I wouldn't forget. (I apologize for the lack of photos. I will try to rectify that the next time I make it).

Soul Dust Chicken Skillet
created by Jen of de Jong Dream House
(download printer-friendly version)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken, cubed
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 Tablespoon Soul Dust dry rub mix*
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 6 oz. spinach, chopped
• 2 cups veggie mix--we like broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots
• 3 cups pasta, dry

* Start by making a batch of Kay's Soul Dust recipe

Mix the following ingredients and store in a jar:

• 1/4 cup salt (kosher or sea salt)
• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1-1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees if roasting veggies. (Skip this step if steaming).
2. Prep veggies by mixing with a splash of oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper. Spread on a cookie tray, and roast for 15 minutes or until broccoli starts to crisp.
3. Add pasta to salted boiling water and cook until tender. (We like to use rotini or bowtie pasta)
4. Cut the chicken into cubes.
5. Add oil to skillet and allow to melt over low heat.
6. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until cooked through.
7. Once chicken is cooked, add 2-3 tablespoons Soul Dust. Mix well and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.
8. Add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted. 
9. Drain pasta.
10. Add chicken mixture and roasted veggies to pasta. Mix well and serve.

Updated January 2021:

Now that D is 12, he plans one meal a week. He decides the menu, adds any ingredients he needs to the shopping list, and makes dinner on Sunday night. Niels or I usually act as his sous chef as he gains confidence. 

D's version omits the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach, and replaces those veggies with a bag of California mix vegetables--cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots. We prepare the veggies separately by adding a Tablespoon olive oil, a teaspoon of salt, and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon pepper to the mixed vegetables in a bowl, then roasting them for 12 minutes at 500 degrees, or until the edges of the broccoli start to turn brown. 

Eet Smakelijk! 

Linked to:
DIY Dreamer * Fluster Buster *  Life After Laundry  * Sparkles & A Stove * Tatertots & Jello