Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Braised Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. Basically, every week when I go to the grocery store you can bet that I will purchase at least one package of chicken in some form for the week ahead. While it's true that chicken is a staple protein for me, it's also really easy to find yourself in a rut when it comes to cooking chicken week after week after week.

This braised chicken dish is a great way to break up the doldrums of ordinary chicken dinners. The combination of the spices alone provide a nice wake up call for your taste buds with the combination of curry, cumin, paprika and cinnamon. Additionally, the tender bell peppers, tomatoes and onions make each bite of chicken complex and delicious. I think it pairs best with mashed potatoes and your favorite green vegetable.

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Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cumin
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided in half
1 red or yellow bell pepper seeded and cut into strips
1/2 yellow onion cut into strips
4 medium tomatoes on the vine, seeded and cut into strips
1/2 cup chicken broth

Instructions
Slice the half yellow onion and place in a medium bowl. Seed and slice the bell peppers and add to the bowl, set aside.
Cut the stem off the tomatoes and remove the seeds using a melon baller.
Slice into strips and place in a separate bowl, set aside.
In a small bowl combine the curry, paprika, cumin, salt and cinnamon.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil
Press the 3 garlic cloves into the spice mixture and stir to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.
Place the chicken in the oil and cook until just browned, about 3 minutes.
Flip and cook the remaining side until golden brown, about 3 more minutes.
Remove from the pan and place on a plate, set aside. Place about a third of the onions and bell peppers on the bottom of the dutch oven.
Place the chicken breasts on top of the veggies and brush with the spice oil mixture.

Top with the tomatoes and the remaining onions and peppers.
Brush the veggies with some of the spice mixture and pour the chicken broth around the edges of the dutch oven.
Place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the chicken over and brush with the remaining spice oil mixture.
Arrange the veggies so that some are on top of the chicken. Return to the oven and cook for 30 more minutes.
Remove and serve by placing the chicken breast on the plate topped with veggies.

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats

3 comments:

  1. i love this recipe. I love Annie. I have made this a couple times-definitely a hit in the Morgan household :)

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  2. For someone who doesn't like "too spicy" foods, would you say this is a spicy dish? Just curious since I am still learning my spices.... thanks! :)

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  3. If by "spicy" you mean hot like a pepper then no. The spices certainly add a lot of flavor and you can definately taste them, but there isn't any heat to the flavor of the dish.

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