Thursday, February 16, 2012

Braised Italian Chicken is a
comforting bowl of food on a cold night

Earthy, filling, delicious – that’s how I’d sum up Braised Italian Chicken with Green Beans, Tomatoes & Olives from Fine Cooking magazine.
   It’s a comforting bowl of food on a cold night that goes well with a glass of red wine and a piece of crusty bread.
   Thanks to red pepper flakes and Kalamata olives, the dish has a very slight smoky flavour and a bit of heat. To scale back the heat, use less than the ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes listed in the recipe, (we used ¼ teaspoon) or leave it out altogether.
   The leftovers warmed up magnificently in the microwave.
   Although the recipe is quite easy to make, it does have several steps that make it a bit labor intensive. Working together, it took my husband and I about 50 minutes to make the dish from start to finish.
   Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are cut into uniform pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, then dredged in flour. In two or three batches, the chicken is cooked in a large Dutch oven until well-browned.
   After all the chicken is returned to the pot, these ingredients are added in different stages: Cut green beans, smashed garlic, salt, pepper, red wine, diced tomatoes, chopped fresh rosemary and red pepper flakes. The mixture is brought to a bowl, then simmered for 15 minutes.
   Pitted and quartered Kalamata olives are added, and the chicken simmered for about five minutes more.
   Serve immediately.



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