Tender Tuscan Chicken Stew

The original recipe comes from one of my favorite Italian cookbooks. Adapted to my own tastes and availability of ingredients, this comforting stew packs lots of flavor and can easily be thrown together for a mid-week meal. I usually serve mine with a nice green salad on the side.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 8  skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1  yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2  red peppers, thinly sliced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28 ounce) can  peeled tomatoes
• 2⁄3 cup dry white wine
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano or 1  large  fresh oregano sprig, chopped
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
•  salt and pepper
• 4  sprigs oregano (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet until hot, not smoking. Saute the chicken in the oil until brown. Remove chicken from the pan and reserve. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes until soft but not browned. Add minced garlic.
2. Carefully drain tomatoes reserving liquid in a cup or bowl. Mash the tomatoes into a thick paste – more concentrated than tomato sauce but not as thick as tomato paste.
3. Add chicken, tomatoes, wine and oregano to the onions and peppers. Simmer 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. If the pan becomes dry, add a little of the reserved tomato liquid. Do so sparingly.
4. Add cannelloni beans to the pan, and simmer another 5 minutes until hot.
5. Garnish with sprigs of oregano (optional).