How many more ways can we dress up a boring boneless, skinless, chicken breast? Harper would say "one-million-zillion" and she would be correct. I liked the flavor profile from Giada's Roman-Style Chicken that I discovered on Food Network. When I recreated this for my family, I adapted a few ingredients to suit my cooking style which is why I renamed it Chicken Stew with Peppers and Capers.
The chicken is first browned in olive oil and then set aside before strips of yellow and red bell peppers are sauteed with chopped prosciutto. The fond that forms on the bottom of the pan creates the most flavorful sauce when I lift it using Chardonnay. Garlic, fresh thyme, and a can of roasted diced tomatoes are three powerhouse ingredients that infuse so much flavor into this chicken as they get nuzzled back in and finish cooking through. My favorite part comes at the very end when a few tablespoons of capers and their briny juice are added before serving.
Selecting chicken
Although the chicken pieces will be your personal choice, it would be more flavorsome to forgo the usual skinless and boneless chicken breast, and instead use skin-on, bone-in pieces such as four legs and four drumsticks.
I used three very fat boneless, skinless, chicken breasts which was about the capacity of the saute pan I selected. If I had chosen my large Dutch Oven, I could have fit 4-5 chicken breasts in there. The recipe certainly makes enough sauce to divide among five plates.
Ingredients
4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil (I like California Olive Ranch evoo)
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (or substitute cubed pancetta or even bacon)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup chicken stock (I mix Better than Bouillon Chicken paste with water)
2 tablespoons capers and juice
2 tablespoons fresh flat leave parsley, rough chopped
Sear chicken
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Build stew flavors
Keeping the same skillet over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have softened and the prosciutto is crisp about five minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen that pretty fond that has formed - pure flavor! Add the tomatoes, fresh thyme (which I didn't pick off the stems, I threw them in whole), bay leaves, chicken stock, and bring this to a boil. Reduce heat to low.
165 degrees
Return the chicken to the skillet and nuzzle them into the sauce. Cover and let simmer until the chicken reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part when you insert a food-safe thermometer. Set a timer for 15 minutes and check. This could simmer for as much as 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.
Finish and serve
If serving immediately, add the capers and parsley, stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and then refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and parsley and serve.
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