Roman-Style Chicken

So after a couple days of eating rice, I got a little tired.  I wanted to mix things up and try out an Italian recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, who is turning out to be my favorite and most reliable Food Network chefs.  I've found her recipes to be pretty simple and tasty to boot.  I'm pretty picky about the food I cook and especially about the food I post about.  So you better bet that if I've gone to the effort to make a recipe and even post about, then it should be something you might like.

I don't know how chef's always say you can substitute prosciutto for bacon.  Bacon has a smokiness which I would find distracting in most dishes that call for prosciutto.  I try to make as few substitutions as possible.

Giada's recipe called for the use of chicken breasts with ribs and boneless chicken thighs.  I halved the recipe and used chicken thighs with the skin and bone to maximize the flavor and I didn't want any dry white meat for dinner.  Any recipe that calls for breasts I'll auto-substitute for chicken thighs.

Roman-Style Chicken
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
5 chicken thighs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 oz prosciutto, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 15oz-can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 tsp fresh oregano leaves (I used a couple sprinkles of dried oregano)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp capers
Chopped flat leaf parsley (I skipped this)

Directions

Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.


Imagine a tender, tomato-ey chicken with brightened flavors from the herbs and capers.  Yum!

I enjoyed my chicken with a mushroom pasta dish (which will be another post for another day) and a side of oven roasted brussel sprouts tossed with some salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic.  Make sure to halve your sprouts and spread them out in a single even layer.  You want to maximize surface area so that you can get some good color and roast on each sprout.

A one pound bag from Trader Joe's whittles down to just one little bowl of sprouts.  It fed 3 people very well.