McCormick spice pack makes a decent dish

Published 3:44 pm Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Maybe you want a quick recipe for tonight’s meal, and don’t want to buy expensive containers of spices and herbs you seldom use — or don’t even know if you like.

Maybe you want to explore new flavors and see if you like them.

The marketers at McCormick have targeted folks like you with their Recipe Inspirations, packages of six pre-measured herbs and spices with a simple recipe included. You will need a few ingredients of your own, nothing exotic, and all the recipes are designed for about 10 or 15 minutes prep time and a maximum of 30 minutes cooking.

If you like it, you can tear out the perforated plastic-coated recipe card on the back of the package.

Priced at $1.99 each, one packet seasons a main course for four to eight people. Recipe Inspirations comes in six varieties: Spanish chicken skillet, garlic lime chicken fajitas, rosemary roasted chicken with potatoes, quesadilla casserole, apple and sage pork chops and shrimp and pasta primavera.

Are they any good? We tried the Spanish chicken skillet at home and found it reasonably tasty, though I think it needed more garlic, and dried minced garlic really doesn’t have the flavor of fresh garlic. But maybe you don’t want to mess with it.

Also, I think smoked paprika would have improved it, though the plain was OK.

If you’ve got the spices around, you can try it yourself, or buy the package if you don’t.

The recipe follows.

Spanish chicken skillet

PACKAGE INCLUDES

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

YOU WILL NEED

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

11/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into six equal pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large green or red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges

1 can (141/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 cup chicken broth or dry sherry

Mix flour, salt and all the spices, except crushed red pepper, in a small bowl. Sprinkle chicken with 2 tablespoons of seasoned flour.

Cook chicken in hot oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat, 3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion, cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth or sherry and remaining seasoned flour. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in red pepper if desired. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

McCormick &Co. Inc.