Bistro Chicken With Peppers

justcallmetoni's Note:

This recipe is adapted from a Cooking Light recipe and refined with changes in the seasonings to enhance the flavor of the otherwise bland chicken breast. It is delightfully easy to prepare and results in a dish with full complex flavors. Recipe serves two but can be doubled with no trouble. Reheats well for lunch the next day.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 2

• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic , coarsely chopped
• 2 (6 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• ¾ teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons finely diced sweet onions
• 1 cup reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1 ¼ teaspoons curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon
• ¼ teaspoon fennel seed , coarsely crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, and discard seeds and membranes.
3. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand.
4. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened.
5. Alternately, you can blacken the skins on a gas range.
6. Place the peppers in a paper or zip-top plastic bag; seal.
7. Let stand 20 minutes.
8. Peel and cut into strips; set aside.
9. Combine salt and garlic on a cutting board; chop until mixture becomes a coarse paste.
10. Rub garlic mixture over chicken.
11. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
12. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes or until golden, turning once.
13. Add onions; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.
14. Add broth, curry, tarragon, and crushed fennel.
15. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes.
16. Add peppers; cook 5 minutes or until chicken is done.
17. Serve with rice or potatoes.

Reviews

[Chef Barry]

Very flavorful chicken. One change I would recommend: don't simmer the bell pepper - between the broiling & simmering of the peppers, they come out lifeless. Otherwise, very good recipe. Thanks!

[PaulaG]

This recipe makes for a moist, nicely flavored and seasoned chicken dish. I flattened the chicken breasts to promote even cooking. Initially, thought there was going to be way to much sauce; however, the liquid cooked down nicely and produced just the right amount to pour over the chicken and rice. This was served on top of short grain brown rice with a side salad for a filling, healthy meal.

[Ernest Ern]

I enjoyed this recipe very much. It was an interesting combination of spices but the peppers in the sauce were a little more soggy than I prefer. It may have been because I used drumsticks instead of the chicken breasts I thought I had but didn't. The additional cooking time may have spelled doom on the peppers. When I cook this again, I use breasts as directed and reevaluate.