Chicken with Peppers

I noticed this recipe for Chicken with Peppers on Pinterest a few weeks ago and pinned it to use at some future time. It looked fabulous!

I adapted the recipe from original one found on Moorlandseater. It comes from a cookery book by food writer Claudia Roden entitled The Food of Italy, published in the early 1990s. It is known to be an old, old Roman dish and the flavor is said to be exceptional, largely due to the slow cooking over low heat.

I love it when you can take relatively few ingredients and apply simple cooking methods to them, with exceptionally flavor filled results and so it is with this dish, Every element of the dish is cooked slowly over a low heat, enabling the juices to develop and mellow out in everything.
Onions, garlic, peppers, chicken with a bit of seasoning. That's all that you need. That and a good skillet with a lid. Everything kind of melts together and becomes jam-like in the juices. This would be really delicious with some crusty bread to mop up all of the flavors, but alas, I did not have any. Just rice.
I hope you will be inspired to cook this dish. You won't be sorry if you do. Simple ingredients, simply cooked, exceptional flavors!

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS
Just a few really simple ingredients. There is nothing complicated here! This is enough for two servings, but could certainly be doubled to feed more. You could also use chicken thighs if you are not fond of the breast meat.

2 TBS light olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 each medium sized red and yellow peppers, deseeded and halved
2 chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
salt and black pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

I always use light olive oil for cooking, preferring to save the extra virgin olive oil for occasions that I can use it raw and enjoy the earthy flavor of it. Unless it is being used for a very special dish where you want to allow the flavor of EVOO to shine, don't waste it in cooking. This is just my humble opinion.
My onion was about the size of my closed fist. Just a simple cooking onion with a brown skin. My garlic cloves were nice and fat. I buy Organic Canadian garlic, locally grown. I prefer not to buy Chinese if I can help it.
You can easily tell the Chinese garlic from the North American. If the garlic is Chinese they are required to remove all of the roots and there will be nothing there but a hollowed out space where the roots were.
Chicken with Peppers

I had a bag of small peppers that I needed to use up and so that is what I used today. I think that the larger sized peppers would have even more flavor and I recommend using them if you have them.
My chicken breasts were the free from organic chicken breasts from the local shops. They have been produced without the use of antibiotics and have loads of flavor in contrast to the alternative ones available. We always buy them at 50% off and there is a trick to that.
When you go into the shops look at the use by date on them. Take note and then come back early on that day. They will always reduce them for you because they need to be sold on that day, and to be honest there will be a lot there needing to be sold as they are quite expensive otherwise.
Bring them home, divide them up, double bag them and freeze. I learned that trick from my sister. She never pays full price for any of her chicken if she can help it and she always buys the free from!!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH PEPPERS
It always amazes me when such a few simple ingredients come together to make something so incredibly delicious without a lot of effort. I don't know why it surprises me. I should know better by now!

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based skillet, over medium low heat. Once hot add the onions.Season with a little bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened without coloring. (10 to 15 minutes.)

Add the garlic. Cook and stir for several minutes longer until quite fragrant. Add the chicken pieces. Season lightly again.

Cook the chicken gently over medium heat until nicely browned all over, stirring occasionally. (8 to 12 minutes.)While the chicken is cooking, cut the peppers into strips, 1/2 inch wide.

Add the peppers to the pan, seasoning lightly again. Give everything a good stir. Cover and then leave to cook gently over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes.(Check periodically to make sure that things are not going dry.)

When done the chicken will be cooked through thoroughly and the peppers will be soft and almost jam-like. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

I was a bit worried that maybe the chicken would end up dried out, but that simply wasn't the case. I think the long slow cooking helps to keep the juices in.
I loved the almost jam-like quality that the peppers took on with the long slow cooking. I chose to thicken the sauce myself by cooking it for a few minutes longer at a higher temperature. It was quite simply a really delicious chicken dish that I know I will make again.
I may even double it to serve to company! I enjoyed with a pouch of brown and wild rice, on the side. I tend to buy it whenever I see it on special and have ended up with quite a few that need using up! I was really wishing I had some crusty bread to spread those jammy peppers on however!
Chicken with Peppers

Do you enjoy chicken breasts and are looking for new and delicious ways to cook them? Look no further. You may also enjoy the following!

PAN ROASTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH THYME - The skin in this recipe helps to keep the meat moist and does impart flavor. Plus it gets nice and crisp. I admit I do love crisp chicken skin, even if its not that healthy to eat. You can of course cook it with skinless chicken as well and it will also be delicious. Browned in a bit of oil with plenty of butter and thyme and then finished off to succulent perfection in the oven.

GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CHIMICHURRI SAUCE - Tender and juicy, marinated and grilled skin on chicken breasts, served with a delicious, herby nicely spiced and garlicky sauce! The sauce is the star of this show! The combination of the two is simply delicious!

Yield: 2 generous servingsAuthor: Marie Rayner