Chicken & Peppers in a Tomato Balsamic Broth

Continuing with my theme of the week, today's dinner recipe utilizes a few of the same ingredients that I used in this week's What's For Dinner Wednesday recipe post. With the prospect of moving into a new place on the horizon (more on that later), I have been on a mission to use up the ingredients in my kitchen so that I can avoid tossing them on moving day. This recipe for Chicken & Peppers in a Tomato Balsamic Broth is the perfect way to do that!

While Wednesday's recipe was light, fresh, and summery, today's recipe is it's heartier sister dinner. Balsamic vinegar and chicken broth are used to create a base for a delicious sauce for simple sauteed chicken breasts. I also stirred in some canned crushed tomatoes and added big slices of onions and sweet red peppers cooked until tender to round out the dish. It's similar to a cacciatore, but simpler and sans the mushrooms or green peppers that you might normally find in that dish-- because I am not a huge fan of either!

This could be a hearty meal in and of itself. Don't you love recipes like that? We like some carbs in this house though, so I served mine over a brown rice pilaf. It would be great over pasta, farro, or quinoa too though. And I love how those starches and grains soak up this pan sauce. It's really good!


Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 Tbs. butter
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/2 Tbs. fresh oregano, chopped
• 3/4 cup low sodium fat free chicken broth
• 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. dry parsley flakes

Heat oil and butter in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Saute until browned on both sides and the center of the chicken breasts is cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add onions and peppers to the pan and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add oregano and pour in broth, crushed tomatoes, and vinegar. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until sauce has reduced. Stir in parsley flakes.

After sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, add chicken back to the pan and simmer in the sauce for another 5 minutes. Serve warm over rice or pasta.


Looking for more easy saucy chicken recipes? How about Chicken in Spicy Tomato White Wine Sauce or Chicken in Creamy Dijon Mustard Sauce?