I love, love, love watching foodie shows on TV. I could seriously watch instructional cooking, cooking competitions, and restaurant makeovers all day long. If the show has food involved, I'm in. One of my favorite competition shows is Chopped! Have you ever seen it? Such a good show. Let me give you the rundown on what it's all about.
In each episode, four chefs compete. Their challenge is to take a mystery basket of ingredients and turn them into a dish that is judged on their creativity, presentation, and taste with minimal time to plan and execute. I'm always in awe of how incredibly quick thinking and creative the chefs are! I totally think I would freak out under the pressure. Do you think you could handle it?
Well, guess what...Sargento® is hosting a “Chopped at Home” contest, and they want to see how you mimic the Chopped challenge right in your own home! YOU can take the Chopped challenge and win! And by win, I mean win like they do on the show.
The Chopped at Home Challenge gives viewers like you and me a chance to create their best recipe using the selected basket ingredients, including Sargento Shredded Cheese, for a chance to win $10,000! Woot!
So fun, right! I don't know how I'd do with the all of the lights, camera, action of reality TV, but at home? That I can do!
So, here are the Chopped ingredients I had to work with for this recipe:
- Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican
- Boneless chicken tenders
- Couscous
- Salsa
On the show, the competitors are given access to a pantry and refrigerator stocked with a wide variety of other ingredients. I used some spices and veggies added to these four main ingredients to come up with my Chicken Fajita Couscous Bowls!
They came out so delish and flavorful!
I marinated my chicken in oil, lime juice and a variety of spices that would give the chicken the classic fajita flavor. Then, I combined the salsa and couscous with a little of the Sargento cheese to make it the perfect accompaniment for the fajita seasoned chicken. I topped it all with more Sargento cheese, tender-crisp peppers and onions, some cool sour cream, a touch of creamy avocado, and a bright fresh cilantro garnish.
I was pretty impressed with myself, I tell ya. Sure, I didn't have the pressure of a live set on my shoulders, but I made it work and I completed my very own Chopped at Home Challenge!
What recipe would you submit to the Chopped At Home contest featuring Sargento cheese? Something similar to what I made? Or something completely different? Think you could come up with a winning dish? Get your creative juices flowing and head over to the Chopped At Home Contest!
Not sure what you'd make? Try these tasty fajita couscous bowls. They're a fun and yummy twist on Mexican night!
Chicken Fajita Couscous Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
Instructions
Notes
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1b boneless chicken tenders, cut into strips
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
- 1 1/2 cups salsa
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 onion, cut into strips
- 1 cup Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican
- optional toppings: fresh cilantro, sour cream, avocado, salsa
Instructions
- Whisk together the canola oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt, cumin, oregano, onion powder, and garlic powder. Place the chicken in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Make sure each piece of chicken is coated in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the salsa and chicken broth to a boil. Add the couscous, stirring quickly. Remove from heat and cover. Set aside.
- Pour the vegetables along with the chicken and marinade into a large skillet over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- Uncover the couscous and stir in 1 cup of the Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican.
- Divide the couscous into four bowls and sprinkle each bowl with 1/4 cup of the Sargento® Off the Block 4 Cheese Mexican. Top the couscous with some of the chicken and vegetables. Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and avocado.
Notes
- Available in 30 versatile varieties, unique blends and distinct cuts, Sargento Shredded Cheese is always cut from blocks of 100% real, natural cheese. For more inspiration, check out the Sargento Pinterest page Pinterest.com/sargentocheese/ or visit Sargento.com for more information.
- This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.
