A humble and tasty saute chicken in tomato sauce.  

A surprisingly easy recipe that celebrates tomatoes and punches above its weight in taste.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4 people

• 4 to 6 pieces of chicken (thighs and breasts)

• 2 tbsp flour to coat the chicken

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 20 g (0.7 oz) butter

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 twig of thyme

• 1 large onion (finely chopped)

• 3 garlic cloves

• 50 ml (1.75 fl oz) white wine, or red if you prefer

• 100 -150 ml (3.5 – 5.3 fl oz) white chicken stock

• 1 can chopped tomatoes

• ½ to 1 tsp of sugar

• Chopped parsley plus a few slices of lemon to decorate

• Salt and pepper to season

For the grilled tomatoes (best to use ripe tomatoes in season)

• 3 tomatoes

• Salt and pepper

• A drizzle of olive oil on each half tomato

• 1 tbsp dry oregano

• 1 tsp sauce per half tomato (from the chicken dish)

• 1 pinch of chopped parsley per half tomato

PROCEDURE

1. Coat the chicken pieces in flour.

2. Warm the oil and melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and brown the chicken pieces, skin down (over moderate heat this will take around 5 minutes on each side). Once browned, reserve the pieces on a plate.

3. Cook the onion in the pan for 10 minutes until lightly brown and tender. Add the bruised garlic and cook for a further minute, then increase the heat to high and deglaze the pan with the wine cooking until most of the wine has evaporated.

4. Add the stock and allow it to reduce by half.

5. Add the tomatoes, fresh thyme and bay leaf and cook (still on high) for a further 3 minutes.

6. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and if the sauce is a little acidic, add between ½ and 1 teaspoons of sugar to soften it.

7. Reduce the heat to medium and return the chicken to the pan, baste them with the sauce, then cook for 20 minutes with the lid on.

8. After 20 minutes, remove the breasts and cook the thighs for a further 10 minutes. then return the breasts to the pan and splash with a little olive oil. Serve with rice or pasta.

9. Make the grilled tomatoes while the chicken is cooking. Halve and seed each tomato and cook in a grill pan for 5 minutes on each side starting with the skin down. Season with salt and pepper.

10. When done, transfer the tomatoes to a plate and add a little of the sauce over each tomato half. Sprinkle with oregano and parsley before serving.

Simplicity is a guarantee that I will cook this dish ( I love fresh tomato and onion as your inspiration 

Susan St Louis

It's funny, I made Hungarian Chicken Paprikash just a few hours ago and this is basically really similar, but with peppers, paprika, majoram and sour cream and no bay leaf and thyme. Everything else is the same, even my cooking method.

Katie Egervari

It’s lovely. I made this yesterday.

Ulla Pennick