SPRINGDALE, Ark., April 22, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virtually everyone wants to eat healthier. Too often, the challenge is finding the right mix between good for you and good taste. Devon Delaney from Westport, Conn., a former elementary school teacher and the mother of three grown children, was up to the challenge. Delaney's creation: African groundnut chicken stew. And, for her efforts, she'll be packing her overnight bag, headed for a front row seat at the Taste of Home Cooking School.
Delaney's entrée was selected as the grand prize winner of the Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® "Just Add This" recipe contest. A panel of six judges employed by Tyson Foods judged finalist entries on taste, healthfulness, originality and unique ways to include Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® chicken into the dish. As the winner, Delaney will receive an expense-paid trip for two to attend the Taste of Home Cooking School in Fall River, Mass., $500 in spending money and will meet one of the school's culinary experts, courtesy of Tyson Foods.
A cooking aficionado, Delaney said her entry was inspired by something she'd seen while watching a cooking show, but she figured out how she could make the traditional African groundnut stew better and easier.
"I was fascinated with the recipe on the show because it featured many of my favorite flavors and ingredients, but it was very labor-intensive and time consuming," she said. "My style of cooking is more on the 'quick and easy' side, so I came up with some convenient ingredient substitutions that would still taste great, but could be made in a fraction of the time. One of those ingredients is, of course, Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® southwestern chicken strips."
Making Delaney's winning recipe is easy. In addition to the chicken strips, it calls for easy to find ingredients such as a sweet potato, diced tomatoes, garlic, all-spice and peanut butter, topped off with a touch of mango chutney. The full recipe is available at https://www.facebook.com/GrilledAndReady , under the "Just Add This" section.
"What makes this recipe interesting is the use of ingredients you may not have considered in a chicken dish," added Delaney. "Chutney lends a sweet, tangy, gingery note to the stew while the peanut butter adds a smooth richness. The all-spice is a traditional African spice that works so well with sweet potatoes and the Grilled & Ready ® southwestern chicken strips add the spicy kick that rounds out the delicious taste. Since the chicken is pre-seasoned, I was able to count on it adding a deeper complexity to the recipe.
"I grew up learning and loving to cook with my Dad. I know my husband and children love this recipe. I hope this is one of the recipes passed down through the next generations of my family," she said.
"We're so happy for Devon," said Dan Uskert, product manager for Tyson Foods. "The 'Just Add This' recipe contest is just one way we're trying to help busy people establish better eating habits. By making simple additions to recipes, starting with Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® chicken, our Facebook followers brought us some fantastic new ideas on how to spice up a quick lunch or dinner, while remaining true to the goal of trying to eat healthy."
Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® chicken is fully-cooked. Many varieties are 97 percent fat free, with all natural ingredients and no artificial ingredients or preservatives. There are also Grilled & Ready ® beef products available. Tyson ® Grilled & Ready ® products can be found in the grocers' refrigerated and freezer sections.
Part of the Reader's Digest organization, Taste of Home is among the world's leading food media brands, which include magazines, recipe collections and cookbooks, in addition to hosting more than 300 cooking schools around the country each year. Recipes tend to be practical in nature, coming from home cooks - not gourmet chefs, and use ingredients commonly found in most home kitchens.
About Tyson Foods, Inc.
Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN ), with headquarters in Springdale, Ark., is one of the world's largest processors and marketers of chicken, beef and pork, the second-largest food production company in the Fortune 500 and a member of the S&P 500. The company was founded in 1935 by John W. Tyson, whose family has continued to be involved with son Don Tyson leading the company for many years and grandson John H. Tyson serving as the current chairman of the board of directors. Tyson Foods produces a wide variety of protein-based and prepared food products and is the recognized market leader in the retail and foodservice markets it serves.
The company provides products and services to customers throughout the United States and approximately 130 countries. It has approximately 115,000 Team Members employed at more than 400 facilities and offices in the United States and around the world. Through its Core Values, Code of Conduct and Team Member Bill of Rights, Tyson Foods strives to operate with integrity and trust and is committed to creating value for its shareholders, customers and Team Members. The company also strives to be faith-friendly, provide a safe work environment and serve as stewards of the animals, land and environment entrusted to it.
Dan Fogleman 479-290-2166
