Chicken Puttanesca

With tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and kalamata olives, this dish is full of flavor despite having only a few ingredients.  It is also both simple and fast to make – perfect for the middle of the week when you’re running out of steam and want to get something on the table without a lot of effort.  Combine it with our green beans from yesterday, and you’ll have a complete meal on the table in about 45 minutes (assuming you’ve got the chicken thawed out ahead of time).

Gather Up:

• 2-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2-1/2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and split in half
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
• 3~4 sprigs fresh oregano leaves (about 1-1/2 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red chile flakes
• 2~3 tbsp EVOO

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs sparingly with sea salt and pepper.  Heat about 1-1/2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When warm, partially cook the chicken in batches on one side only until that side is browned (about 5 minutes).  Set each batch aside until all the chicken has been cooked on one side, adding more olive oil to the pan as needed to prevent sticking.

Arrange the thighs, browned side up, in a 13×9 baking dish.  Evenly spread the tomatoes over the top of the chicken, followed by the olives, the garlic, and the oregano.  Sprinkle the chile flakes over everything.

Place in the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the tomatoes and olives are slightly browned.  You may also find the garlic will have cooked up into crunchy little “nuggets” throughout the pan as well (yum!).

Serve up by placing a thigh (or two) on your plate, then arranging some of the veggie mixture over top.  Put another vegetable choice along side, and you’re all set.  The leftovers are just as good the next day for lunch.