Saturday, April 23, 2016

Abbie's Italian Chicken Special


INGREDIENTS
  • 2 Chicken breasts [that's 4-6 fillets]
  • 2 cups, Tomato Paste
  • 3 cups, square chopped Green Bell Peppers
  • 3 cups, square chopped Onions
  • 3 cups, square chopped Tomatoes
  • 2 cups, Mushrooms [I used a can]
  • Italian seasoning [combination of oregano, thyme, rosemary]
  • 1 tablespoon, Salt
  • Paprika/Red chili powder, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon, coarse black pepper
  • 3 cups, flour [I used white whole wheat flour]
  • Vegetable oil
SPECIAL ITALIAN CHICKEN UP!
1. In a large flat dish - preferably glass - add flour, salt, paprika, black pepper powder, and 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning. Mix these well to create a good flour blend.
2. In a large cooking pot, heat 1 cup oil to medium-high heat [good for frying chicken].
3. Dry excess moisture from the chicken breasts by drying them out on a paper towel.
4. Dredge each chicken fillet well in the flour blend so that no pink part is left uncovered. Used your hands or tongs to hold the chicken.


5. Lay the chicken in the hot oil to fry - about a good 3 minutes each side until browned - in the pot while you continue dredging and transferring the other fillets.

6. Once both sides of all fillets have browned, transfer them back into a clean glass bowl or plate and set aside while you prepare the sauce for simmer cooking the chicken.


7. To the same oil used for frying the chicken, add bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms and fry for a good one minute. I like coating all the veggies in the flour blend as well - before frying - because that Italian seasoning is delicious and the flour adds a rich, creamy texture to the sauce.


8. After the veggies are done frying, add tomato paste, a teaspoon of more Italian seasoning, some more salt [check taste for saltiness], a teaspoon of black pepper powder, and red chili according to how hot you want the dish to be. Stir everything well and allow the tomato sauce to cook until the tomato red color changes to a darker shade. 

9. Add water once the tomato sauce has begun to leave oil. Fill up enough water to thin out the sauce to a slightly liquid consistency but still creamy [not runny]. 


10. Add the chicken pieces but do not dip them in to keep the flour crust intact. Cover and cook on medium simmer until chicken is well cooked.

11. Sometimes, the chicken may be undercooked and you can slice the fillets up at the point in the pan to cook the chunks evenly. Mine cooked great and I pulled out whole breast pieces just right. 


12. But for the second time, maybe the flour coating became too thick - so I sliced the chicken up!

22 comments:

  1. This was so delicious, I can't wait to eat it again :D

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    1. You mean I make it again *sticks out tongue*

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  2. Finding your blog for the first time while out blog hopping from North Carolina during the #Challenge before hurrying on to visit as many blogs as possible on Sunday, our day off. I have scrolled back to this great post with photograph support. You are to be congratulated to have worked so hard to participate this year. If you have interest or time, I have been writing about hotels and inns, the architects and settings. On the letter T day it was about tea at a lovely hotel yesterday. If you have time or interest....Join me.

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    1. Thanks so much Stepheny for reaching out! i have visited your blog during A to Z and have left you comments. The hotels and inns were such a great find!

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  3. oh yummy! this looks soo good! I'm just wondering is there a substitute for the flour or could I leave it out? I really want to try this inshaAllah... I usually stick to the simple lemon, olive oil, salt, herbs for chicken so it'd be nice for something different. :)

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    1. You can use white whole wheat flour. I haven't tried anything else because the staple Italian Cacciatore is dredged in flour to give it the slightly crispy crust. You can eliminate the flour, it would just not give it the browned look. :)

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  4. I love the sauce - I love anything in a tomato base sauce. The flour is for thickening the sauce Umm Hafsa. I actually have fried chicken fillets for dinner now but sometimes it needs a nice asuce to go with it. I know what to try next time!

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. O! I know what you mean! Delicious, simmering, tomato sauce! So creamy! And fusing Italian herbs in there just sweetens the deal!

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  5. This looks delicious. Although I'm not a chicken lover, I would to try this out with all the veggies, mushrooms and Italian seasoning combo.

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    1. Yeah! I could do that too! It could be my next kitchen adventure! Thanks Amina!

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  6. Yummy! The tomato sauce looks fantastic, I bet this would taste good with spaghetti too!

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    1. It would be perfect with spaghetti! In fact ANY pasta!

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  7. I like the idea of cooking the veg in the flour mixture too. I bet that adds a whole new dimension of yumminess to the dish!

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    1. It does! It has to be consumed quick though! The flour coat gets soggy if this stays in the fridge for long!

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  8. Ohh this tomatoe sauce looks soo tasty. I love sayces like these especially with pasta I think.my husband would love too

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  9. It is very tempting Abbie, will be on my todo list. Surely let u know how it turned out.

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    1. Would love to see that happen!!! Thanks so much!

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  10. Oooh this looks lovely mashaAllah! Could you blitz the sauce after removing the chicken, to 'hide' the veggies for young children who may not want to eat them? Also, what do you usually serve this with? x

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    1. Haha! Blitz the sauce would be a stroke of genius! I served this with seasoned rice. But you can go ahead with Spaghetti and pasta!

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