Pandy's Tasty Chicken

Someone recently asked if I was planning to include recipes on this blog, and I thought, "What a good idea". Thanks Benny!  So I thought I'd share with you what I made for my family last night. It was healthy and tasty and even my husband "The Carnivore" and my two year old loved it. The Carnivore even went back for seconds, which is always a nice compliment.  Being an average income house, I tend to cook on the cheap, so instead of nice pretty chicken breasts, I found a whole lot of  'chicken breast chunks' in the supermarket that were marked down. You can find these quite frequently in supermarkets and I believe they stock them when they're training new butchers who mess up the breast fillets.  You can also use boneless thigh cutlets in this recipe, they're usually cheaper and tastier - just be sure to trim the fat and skin off first.

Pandy's Tasty Chicken (I'm not so great at coming up with creative names, hehe)

400 g chicken breast (or thighs) cut in to chunks
1 can of chopped tomatoes in juice
1 red pepper, large dices
1 onion, large dices
2-3 cloves garlic
big handful of fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried)
2 tablespoons (approx) of red wine vinegar, or balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon of sugar (brown is best, but not essential)
2 tablespoons flour
pepper to taste
cooking oil (I like rice bran oil)

Toss the chicken in a bag with the flour and some pepper to season and shake off the excess. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the oil a heavy bottomed frying pan or wide saucepan (not non-stick) to a medium high heat and brown the chicken in 3 or 4 batches. Don't try to do it all at once, you'll steam the chicken and it won't brown. Add extra oil as needed and don't worry about the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, they add to the flavour. Drain the chicken on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Lower the heat to medium/low and saute the onion and garlic until soft, taking care not to brown them. Add the red pepper and saute for another minute or so. Deglaze the pan with half a cup of cold water (you can use red or white wine or a stock if you want) . Scrape up the brown crispy bits and mix in. Reduce the liquid to about half then add the tomatoes and the chicken. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove the lid and add the vinegar and sugar. Also add the basil, if using dried. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens to a chutney-like consistency. If using fresh basil add in the last few minutes of cooking. Serve with pasta and green vegies.

Yum!
xxPandy