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Saucy Mediterranean Chicken
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Saucy Mediterranean Chicken

A quick weeknight supper with deboned chicken, baby potatoes, some Mediterranean veggies and a spicy, tomato sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 4 people
Author: Melby

Ingredients

  • 800 g new baby potatoes, washed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 500 g deboned chicken thighs, in large chunks or breasts or chicken tenders
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed or grated
  • 1 t dried chilli flakes
  • 2 t dried green herbs like parsley, origanum or basil, or an Italian blend
  • 2 t sweet paprika
  • 1 t smoked Spanish paprika or less if you find it very pungent
  • 250 g white button mushrooms, sliced
  • 250 g baby marrows, sliced
  • 1 small brinjal, cubed
  • 1 tin cherry tomatoes in sauce
  • ½ tin water
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • sweetener to taste eg. sugar, honey or chutney
  • 2 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley

Instructions

  • Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with hot water and boil till tender - around 20 minutes. Remove from pot when tender and set aside to cool slightly.
  • Whle the potatoes are cooking, add the olive oil to a large pan and set on medium heat. Add the sliced onions and fry till translucent.
  • Increase the heat to high and add the chicken to the pan. Brown the chicken evenly.
  • Reduce the heat and add the garlic and chilli flakes. Fry for a minute or two.
  • Add the herbs, paprika (both types) and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • Add the veggies one type at a time and give your mixture some time to get back up to heat after each addition.
  • Add the tin of cherry tomatoes and half a tin of water and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the sauce has reduced slightly. Add some sweetener to balance the taste of the sauce if necessary.
  • While your sauce is simmering, cut the potatoes in halves or quarters depending on their size.
  • Once the stew is cooked, add the potatoes and mix them carefully into the sauce. You don't want to break up the potato chunks too much.
  • Serve with some chopped parsley. If you are not worried about eating double carbs you can also serve some crusty bread to soak up all that delicious sauce.

Notes

  • If you want to change the flavouring of the dish, replace the chilli, paprika and green herbs with two tablespoons of Indian or Thai curry paste.
  • Whole or crushed tomatoes will also work, but I love the look of the red cherry tomatoes in this dish. You can also use fresh cherry tomatoes and tomato passata (half a cup of each).
  • Feel free use other veggies such as carrots, beans, pattypans or asparagus.
  • If you want to go vegetarian, replace the chicken with two tins of chickpeas or barlotti beans. This can be added after you have added the tomatoes.
  • If you are not in the mood for potatoes, cook a batch of pasta like penne or conchiglie (pasta shells) and mix that into the saucy chicken. A sprinkle of cheese and 20 minutes in a hot oven and you have a delicious chicken pasta bake.
  • If you have to watch your carbs like me, you can replace the potato with sweet potato chunks, or cauliflower florets aka "fake potatoes".