Thursday: Creole Poached Chicken

Really, this recipe is about as authentically Creole as I am, but it has a lot of the flavours you would expect, like celery, peppers and onion. I like it because it is very easy to make very spicy and all the veggies make it nice and healthy.

You will need: 

2 tsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped 

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 14oz can of stewed tomatoes (not herbed, yuck)

1/2 c chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne (or more. LOTS more)

1 lb chicken breasts (about 3 with tenders, 4 without)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, pepper, celery and carrots until tender, aboot 4-5 minutes. 

Stir in the tomatoes, broth, thyme, salt and cayenne; add the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and poach until the chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Alternatively, you can cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking. You will just not be able to remove the chicken for the reducing stage and it may get more cooked than strictly necessary. I cut the chicken up because sometimes I am lazy like that.

Remove the chicken; keep warm. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until it is reduced by half.  Make sure you taste it at this point; any dish with a lot of tomatoes and chicken in a pan can taste a lot like, well, chicken and tomatoes in a pan. Add thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper as needed. Return the chicken to the pan, warm through. Serve with rice or over egg noodles. 

Chicken from spaaace!

Healthy!