One Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Red Wine Vinegar
Day 2 of Healthy Week! How're you doing? Getting back into the swing of things? Hope so! Today you are in for a treat, because while this dish is pretty healthy and light, in no way, will you feel deprived. Think tender, moist chicken covered in a tangy tomato sauce---lick-the-plate-clean good!! It's the kind of meal you hope you'll be served in a French countryside bistro. My family really loved this and I'm betting that yours will too!
Now that it's actually getting wintery here in the Northeast, we're all craving warm, nourishing, satisfying dinners. But that doesn't mean they have to be loaded with calories and fat, no siree! For example, in this recipe, you do use a few tablespoons of butter and oil to brown the chicken but you pour off nearly all of it before you make the sauce so there's a huge savings without any flavor sacrifice.
And this all gets done in one pot which cuts down on your clean-up time too!
Each bite is a wonderful combination of juicy white meat chicken and zesty, slightly chunky tomato pan sauce. I served this with some brown rice (we're trying to be healthy this week, remember?!) but this would also be great with pasta, mashed potatoes or even some good crusty bread--really anything you love that lets you sop up all that good gravy. Yummy! If this is healthy eating, bring it on!!
One-Pan Chicken with Tomatoes and Red Wine Vinegar
Makes about 6 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds bone-in chicken breasts (you could also you dark meat or a combination or even boneless, skinless breasts)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup good red wine vinegar
- One 15-ounce can whole tomatoes, crushed, with liquid
- 1 cup chicken stock or broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
The Recipe
1. Season with chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat (don't use a cast-iron pan because it will interfere with the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar). Add the chicken skin side down without crowding (you'll most likely have to do this in 2 batches unless you have a really large pan) and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden brown on the outsides. Transfer chicken to a plate and cook second batch.
2. When chicken has all been cooked and removed from the pan, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and add the garlic. Cook, stirring for about 1 minute, until browned. Carefully add the vinegar (the fumes will be strong, so don't lean over the pan) and use a wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Place the chicken back into the pan. It's ok if it's crowded now. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, chicken stock, bay leaves, parsley and thyme. Turn the heat up high and bring to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and let cook for another 45 minutes or so until the chicken is fully cooked through and tender. (If you're using boneless breasts, you'll probably only need to cook them for about 15 minutes or so). Season with more salt and pepper if necessary and remove chicken from pan to a serving platter.
3. Turn the heat up high and let sauce boil for about 5 minutes, until thickened and reduced. Remove bay leaf, parsley and thyme and discard. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.
4. You can also make this early in the day. Prepare everything through reducing the sauce. Then return the chicken to the pan. Before serving cover the pan and reheat the chicken and sauce over a low light.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit, Y'all by Virginia Willis.
