Pan Grilled Chicken in Peperonata

[Peh-peh-roh-NAH-tah] is an incredibly flavorful dish of stewed peppers, tomatoes and onions cooked in olive oil. Succulent, tender, boneless-skinless chicken breast is pre-grilled to retain a nice smokey flavor in this preparation yet allows it to marry with the rich tasting sauce.

Ingredients

For 8 Person(s)

For the Chicken

3 peppers - any color, seeds removed and chopped in strips or squares
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
28 ounces San Marzano tomatoes ( hand crushed )
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 fresh chili pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped

Directions

In a large hot pan, saute smashed garlic and chili pepper in 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil for 2 minutes.
Add chopped peppers and onions and saute for 10 minutes on high heat.
Now add tomatoes and their juices, salt, pepper and sugar, cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.
For chicken, drizzle chicken breasts in olive oil and sprinkle with smoked sea salt ( I use smoked Fleur de sel ), black pepper and some dry oregano.
Place in a very hot grill pan and cook for 2 minutes per side.
Once chicken is grilled, add the breasts into the peperonata, cover with lid and place into a pre heated 350*F oven for 20 minutes.
As a finishing touch, I remove the lid and set under the broiler for 5 minutes to give a nice caramelized coating to the chicken and sauce.
I like to plate the chicken and peperonata over a slice of Italian bread that has been rubbed with garlic and olive oil and toasted until golden brown.

Recipe Notes

As a matter of fact, beef, veal, pork, poultry and even most white fish don\'t mind bathing in this luxurious sauce. Braising with peperonata infuses super rich flavor into whatever you decide to add to it. Your choice of peppers and onions, which ever size shape or color they may be will make all a fantastic tasting dish. You may choose to grill the chicken on your outdoor grill but the use of a super hot grill pan and some smoked sea salt will give you that outdoor grill flavor without having to brave the cool fall weather.