Once in a while I get the bug to cook dishes out of our usual “ethnic” comfort zone. Last weekend, I was inspired by a recipe for a Coconut Yellow Rice (I’ll blog this recipe soon!). The rice needed an equally exotic main dish to go with it. I happened to have a large container of hummus that I needed to finish off, so I Googled hummus and chicken and found a delicious recipe on the Gimme Some Oven blog site. I didn’t make it exactly, but using the veggies I had on hand. It was a very tasty dish that went perfectly with the rice! My family raved about this dinner! It is definitely a do-over!
This recipe is easy to make, but very tasty. The hummus gives the chicken a nice crust and the lemon juice gives the chicken and vegetables a bright zing. You can get creative with the veggies too. The recipe called for squash, but I used the bell pepper and carrot that I had on hand and I was great!
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/hummus-crusted-chicken/
Hummus Crusted Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 zucchini, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup hummus, homemade or storebought
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 lemons
1 tsp. smoked paprika or sumac
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller baking dishes with cooking spray.
Pat the chicken dry. Season the chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.
If using one baking dish, place all of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each chicken breast with the hummus so that the entire breast is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with smoked paprika or sumac. Thinly slice the remaining lemon, and place the slices in between the chicken and vegetables if desired.
**If using two pans, use one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.**
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!!!
Inside Kel's Kitchen 
