Chicken and Peppers

I love cooked peppers, probably more than raw peppers. This recipe cooks down the peppers till they are delectably soft and they throw off all their delicious flavors into the chicken that’s cooking along with it. I was not prepared for how really tasty this was going to be. Just another chicken dish –it wasn’t. I don’t like raw green pepper but I love cooked green peppers. I used orange, red, green and yellow because I love the way it looked with all the colors. I suppose a little sliced onion would be great in there too because nothing I love better than peppers and onions but this time out I did it with just peppers. Another winning recipe fromDo it Delicious with Jessica Seinfeld. Give this one a try unless you really really don’t like peppers. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs ( you can easily modify amount of chicken) for some reason my chicken thighs from the butcher were enormous so I used less. For 4 people you’ll want at least 8 thighs.

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 3/4 tsp. + 1/2 tsp.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ( divided 1/4 tsp. + 1/4 tsp. )

1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

4-5 mixed bell pepper (app. 2 lbs) they cook down a lot

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs using paper towels. Measure the 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and season chicken with it on both sides.

Place a large skillet on the stove and turn the heat on to medium-high. Add the oil and after about a minute when it starts to shimmer, place the chicken skin-side down in the hot oil. Cook until the skin is golden brown in color and crisp, this can take about 10-12 minutes. Flip using tongs so as not to pierce the skin.

While the chicken is cooking, chop the garlic.

Slice the peppers in half and remove the stem, seeds, and white membranes. Slice into 1/2 inch thick strips. Make sure you wash your peppers and dry them before cutting.

When the chicken has finished cooking, use tongs to transfer to a clean plate. I had enough oil to continue cooking if not you can add a little now, I didn’t have to add any more oil. Add the pepper and cook, stirring and scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Peppers should take about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook a little longer ( 2 minutes or more) You will be cooking over a medium-low heat.

Add the vinegar, then add the oregano, crushed red pepper and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil. Place the chicken back into skillet nestling it into the peppers. Let everything just simmer together until the chicken is fully cooked all of the way through. I cooked it on a low simmer for about 20 minutes. If your pan gets dry you can add a little more water (maybe 1/4 cup) You can cut into a piece of chicken to check for doneness –no body likes a rubber piece of chicken.

Perfection on a plate, chicken and peppers .  Would be delicious with rice or potatoes.