Sunday 17 January 2010

Chicken with tomato basil and red pepper sauce

I've often heard it said that the best meals are those that are unplanned and prepared from just what you have in your cupboards and freezer. That was certainly proved true yesterday when I found myself needing to prepare a meal and had nothing planned.I came up with this chicken dish which looked so good I just had to get a photo to post on the blog. Not only is it delicious but it's quick to prepare and only uses one pan which is always a good thing in my book!
Using an oven proof pan I first prepared a sauce made from onions, red pepper, tomatoes, garlic and basil, I buried some big juicy chicken breasts in the sauce making sure they were well smothered then baked them until perfectly cooked, a good handful of grated Parmesan finished the dish perfectly.

Chicken with tomato basil and red pepper sauce:

Ingredients:
  • A large white onion roughly chopped
  • A large red pepper chopped into dice
  • Olive oil
  • 2-3 Cloves of garlic crushed and chopped
  • A 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
  • A large bunch of fresh basil (substitute dried)
  • 3-4 Large chicken breasts
  • A large handful of grated parmesan
Method:
  • In an oven proof pan soften the onion and pepper in the olive oil
  • Add the garlic and cook for a minute longer
  • Add the tin of tomatoes to the pan along with the basil and bring to a gentle simmer
  • Bury the chicken breasts in the sauce making sure they are well covered, this will stop them drying out
  • Bake the chicken for around half an hour in a medium oven, halfway through cooking scatter over the parmesan.
  • Serve with pasta potatoes or rice.

12 comments:

♥peachkins♥ said...

this sounds yummy. I am always on the look out for new chicken recipe.thanks fro sharing!

James said...

Piperade with parmesan - wow has to be a new classic! Bet chicken tasted good being cooked in the sauce rather than seperately. You could add risotto rice in there too. Or small dice potato.

Meals from the cupboards & freezer are also great on the budget - amazing how much we like to store!

The Caked Crusader said...

Can't go wrong with chicken. Looks a nice dish and the appeal of a "one pot" is always good for those of us who do the washing up!

gastroanthropologist said...

I think sometimes the definition of a great cook is one who can look in a kitchen and make something fabulous with having to purchase anything else. I'm a sucker for good roast chicken, but my second favorite way to have chicken is when it is cooked like this in the sauce. I think it keeps it moist and tender and really flavors it.

Desperate for one pot, easy meals these next few weeks so thanks for posting this!

Hopie said...

Mmm, that definitely sounds delicious. I like anything cooked in one pan. And I love last minute meals that turn out to be the yummiest!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Very tasty! And I LOVE your cast iron pan!

Christine said...

Sounds really great! The red peppers would be good so it's not just a regular tomato sauce. It's true, too, about some of the best dishes coming from the spur of the moment.

Beth (jamandcream) said...

I love these kind of storecupboard suppers too. Sounds good, especially thefact it only uses one dish!!

Karen said...

I love to cook this way and have created some of the most tasty meals using just this method. Problem is, I can never remember to repeat it! Good idea of your for writing it down. It looks delicious - will have to give it a try!

Katie said...

Lovely and simple. Yum!

Anonymous said...

Nice! Love it when the last-minute pantry meal comes together in a delicious surprise. And the fewer pans to clean, the better!

Anonymous said...

Sweet! I call this technique a "lazy braise" because I don't take the time to brown the meat. I've even nestled in some chicken straight from the freezer, because I always make these decisions last minute!

Love your Italian take on this--bet it was great!