Pan-Fried Chicken Breast with Thyme, Peperonata & Roast Potatoes
Extract from Fearless Food © Lynda Booth 2017
Simple as it may sound, there is a technique to cooking a humble chicken breast. What is ideal is to buy the chicken with the skin on, to season it well, and to start by cooking it at a medium heat in the pan until the skin becomes a rich golden colour. It can then be transferred to the oven with a few sprigs of thyme. The skin will continue to baste the meat, ensuring that it stays flavourful and succulent. The peperonata is a great side dish and this could be accompanied by some roasted baby potatoes with rosemary and garlic.
To prepare the Pan-Fried Chicken Breast with Thyme, Peperonata & Roast Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 200˚C, 180˚C Fan, 400˚F, Gas 6.
To make the peperonata
Slice the onion in half and then crossways into thin rings. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan and when hot, add the onions. Season with salt, stir and turn down the heat to low. Cover and leave the onion to sweat until translucent and completely softened, about 10 minutes. Stir once or twice during the cooking. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two. Pour the sherry vinegar into the onions and boil for a few seconds before mixing in the peppers. Season with salt, cover the pot and cook at a medium heat for about 10 minutes. Pour the tin of tomatoes into the peppers and add the sugar. Bring up to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to allow the tomato mixture to concentrate in flavour and the peppers to soften. Check the seasoning at the end. The peperonata will hold in the fridge for up to a week.
To roast the potatoes
Slice the potatoes in half. Place on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt. Mix the potatoes with your hands and then scatter over a few sprigs of rosemary and the garlic. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes until tender.
To pan fry the chicken
Dry the chicken with some kitchen paper. Season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an ovenproof pan and when hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Brown the chicken, without moving, over a medium high heat for about 8 minutes until the skin is a deep, rich golden brown. Place the sprigs of thyme sitting on the flesh as they cook. Tilt the pan and add a knob of butter to the front. When it sizzles, baste the chicken breasts. Turn the chicken over, leaving it to sit on the sprigs of thyme. Transfer to the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes or longer, depending on the thickness. In order to keep the chicken breasts moist, it is important to whip them out of the oven as soon as they are ready. Remove from the pan and leave them to rest on a warm plate for about 5 minutes, skin side up, so they retain their crispness. Slice and serve with the peperonata and roast potatoes.
| For a quick sauce, spoon off any excess fat from the pan, deglaze the pan with a good splash of white wine, boil for a minute, add a little chicken stock (or Marigold bouillon) and reduce down. Finish with a knob of butter and some chopped herbs such as thyme, tarragon or oregano. |
Ingredients
- Serves 4
For the peperonata
1 large onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 red peppers, sliced into thin strips
2 green peppers, sliced into thin strips
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
ó tsp sugar
salt
For the potatoes
800g baby potatoes
a few sprigs rosemary
olive oil
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
For the chicken
4 chicken breasts, with skin on salt and freshly ground black pepper
4-8 small sprigs thyme
olive oil, for cooking
a generous knob of butter
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