Sicilian Chicken Stew
This hearty dish incorporates all the flavors of Sicilian cooking in one delicious stew! Be sure to serve with some crusty bread for mopping!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 1/2-2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery from the heart, chopped into large pieces
- 2 cubanelle peppers, chopped into large pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
- 2-3 cups chicken stock (use a little more or less depending on how thick you like your stew)
- 1 can San Marzano tomatoes (28 ounces)
- 1 cup big Italian green olives, chopped
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (about a handful)
- 1/2 cup basil (about a handful)
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley (about a handful), chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (about a palmful), toasted
- Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for topping
Preparation
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with the EVOO.
Season the raw chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the EVOO starts to ripple, put the chicken in the skillet and brown all sides.
Add in the onion, celery, peppers, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
Add the balsamic vinegar, a cup or so of the chicken stock and the tomatoes to the skillet. Crush the tomatoes with a potato masher and mix in the olives and raisins. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors blend, adding more chicken stock to reach the desired consistency of your stew.
To serve, top each portion with basil, parsley, toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Serve with some crusty bread alongside.
This is one of many "Yum-o!" recipes – it's good and good for you. To find out more about Yum-o!, Rachael's nonprofit organization, go to www.yum-o.org.
