Mens Health

 

Impress your woman and treat yourself with this warm, hearty and healthy chicken recipe

Polenta is the perfect partner for this dish. It cooks in minutes and provides a soft, silky bed for the pan juices .Chicken thighs trump breasts for flavour – save 170kJ by using skinless thighs.The secret to braising: take time to deeply brown the meat beforehand. Its skin will be crisp and its fat will enhance the sauce.

YOU’LL NEED

2 tbsp olive oil

8 boneless chicken thighs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes

10–12 green or black olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1⁄2 cup dry red wine

11⁄2 cups chicken stock

500g roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

HOW TO MAKE IT

1.Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan on high. Season the thighs with salt and pepper and add them to the pan, skin side down. Cook, turning occasionally, until they’re deeply brown and crisp on all sides, about eight to 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan

2.Lower the heat. Add the pepper, onion, garlic, pepper flakes and olives. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Pour in the wine; simmer, stirring occasionally, until the wine nearly evaporates, about five minutes

3.Add the stock, tomatoes and chicken, tucking it skin side up into the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for at least another 20 minutes, until the chicken is just about falling off the bone and the sauce is reduced by half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on the parsley to garnish. Makes four servings

Per Serving2 048kJ, 35g protein, 15 g carbohydrates(3g fibre), 29 g fat,360mg sodium