Last-Minute Roasted Red Pepper Chicken

Ah, the lowly chicken. I had read somewhere that chicken used to be an uncommon delicacy. It wasn’t even that long ago. When I was growing up beef was the preferred meat. (I’m 44, btw) Beef was the cheap, versatile choice of housewives nationwide. Medical schools everywhere have shrines to the mighty cow that spurred a whole new genre of medical practice....Cardiologists! In the 70’s (1970’s that is) people started to make the connection between beef and cholesterol and heart disease. ‘We need a healthier, yet still affordable protein source!’ was the cry throughout the land. Someone, somewhere pointed a finger at the chicken and we haven’t looked back since. There you go, I am a history buff as well. While we here at Liz’s kitchen eat lots and lots of chicken, I cannot say that I am someone who has ever uttered the words ‘oh, I LOVE chicken’. I really don’t love chicken. I love to see what I can do to it to make it delicious though.

I recently resurrected a long-lost-friend of a book called ‘Fresh & Fast’ by Marie Simmons. Marie is not a flashy Food Network star so you may not have heard of her. She is a good, solid cook and cookbook author who can be considered a go-to in a clutch situation. Here was the scenario... I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Period. It was 4:00 on a Tuesday night. Period. No thoughts on what to cook for dinner. What follows is the recipe that came together easily with stuff I had on hand....

Chicken Breasts Over-Roasted with Bell Peppers (I have modified it to fit a family of 6)

3 lg red bell peppers, halved, seeds, stem and ribs removed, cut into 1/2-inch stripes

4 garlic cloves, chopped (she calls for them to be crushed)

1 sweet onion, sliced thin (I added the onion because I like the flavor...you can use whatever kind of onion you have on hand or just leave it out altogether)

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp dried thyme (she also says you can use fresh rosemary - 2tsp)

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the peppers, garlic and onions in a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or roasting pan. Drizzle with the oil and toss to coat. Bake for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the peppers begin to brown.

Meanwhile, rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with the rosemary or thyme, salt and a grinding of pepper. Remove the baking dish from the oven; stir the peppers, garlic and onions; add the chicken and spoon some of the peppers on the top.

Continue to roast, until the chicken is cooked through (meat thermometer should read 165 degrees F) and the peppers are browned and tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

TIP: At this point, I poured off the juices from the pan and mixed them with 1 tsp of cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup of water while stirring over a high heat (takes about 30 seconds) until thick. I poured this gravy sparingly over the chicken when serving it.

This chicken has great flavor! I served brown rice and a green salad as a side. Oh yeah, don’t forget the bread. We eat bread with everything! Enjoy!

5 sets of thumbs up!