Monday, May 9, 2011

Chicken Vesuvio

The best thing about this recipe is that you can cook the ENTIRE meal stove-top in ONE POT. That means only one thing to wash! It is a great meal for when you have company over because it is a complete meal that looks really fancy even though it is super easy. All you'd need to add is a loaf of crusty bread and some glasses of wine! It is a Cook's Illustrated recipe from their "Skillet Supers" cookbook which I am newly obsessed with. I suggest having everything out and ready because this meal cooks up really fast.

Here is how you make it-

Chicken Vesuvio

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper
2T olive oil
1 1/2 lb. baby red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup white wine (and then drink the rest with your meal!)
1 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 T unsalted butter
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Pat chicken dry and season w/salt & pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large 12" skillet over medium/high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. (The chicken will not be fully cooked at this point, you are just browning it to seal in the juices/flavor)

Add remaining oil to the skillet and cook potatoes, cut side down until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, rosemary, oregano and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add wine and broth, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Make sure the potatoes are flipped at this point so they can cook all the way though. Return the chicken breast to the skillet on top of the potatoes. (They will just sort of hang out on top of the potatoes and broth and the steam will cook them the rest of the way through) Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are tender.

Using a slotted spoon transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter and tent with foil while you finish the sauce.

Increase the heat to medium/high and cook the sauce, uncovered until it is reduced to about 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Take the skillet off the heat and whisk in the butter and lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Pour sauce over the chicken and potatoes. Serve and devour. (: