Dinner In An Hour: Chicken Trombino

Pan-Fried Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

A couple years ago, I had one of those shiny glass cook top, electric stoves.  I loved it because it was so incredibly easy to clean.  Don't get me wrong, it looked awful when it was covered in food splatter, but in 30 seconds flat, I could have it wiped glistening clean. It was for that sole reason that I came to love that stove.  No annoying scrubbing of drip pans or covering with foil. No bulky black, dirty grates to clean.  No liquid dripping under the cooktop, haunting my kitchen with burnt smells for 2 weeks.  Just black polished glass, that could easily be scrubbed clean and polished in less than a minute. 

I miss that glass cook top.  I have a gas stove now, and its a pain in the butt to clean.  Maybe one of the most neglected areas of my kitchen. But I suppose it has a few redeeming qualities.  Like getting screaming hot or better accommodating old, less-than-level pans.  And the open flame is my favorite part--it is perfect for roasting peppers.  Simply stab them with a fork, and toast them like a  marshmallow over the open flame.  Let them get nice and black, turning them on your makeshift spit. And then run them under cool water while peeling off the charred skin. Viola!  Roasted red peppers, without having to turn on the hot broiler or fire up the grill.  Once you have your roasted red peppers, make this dinner.  It is flavorful and delicious and, most importantly, easy to make!

Chicken Trombino

ingredients

For the chicken:

1.5-2 lbs chicken breast, hammered & cut into even cutlets

salt & pepper

1/3 c flour

2 T olive oil + 2 T butter (for frying chicken)

For the pan sauce:

2 T butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

heaping 1/2 c roasted red peppers, diced

1 T tomato paste

2 c diced tomatoes

1/2 c red wine

dash of worcestershire sauce

1 t dried italian seasoning

6 slices of provolone cheese

fresh herbs for garnishing (ribboned basil and oregano are delicious)

DIRECTIONS

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and fry until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.

You can use the same pan you fried your chicken in to make the pan sauce. However, if there are burnt or black bits in the pan or too much oil, I would drain these and start the sauce with a fresh pat of butter. Some light browned bits are acceptable.

Saute minced garlic in the pan until slightly golden. Add diced peppers and tomatoes. Stir in a heavy spoonful of tomato paste. Once the mixture starts to get hot and bubbly in your pan, pour in a half cup or so of red wine. Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring periodically. If you would like, you can use a potato masher to further break down your tomatoes and peppers. Sprinkle in dried oregano or italian season and a dash of worcestershire sauce. Add chicken to pan sauce. Top chicken with provolone cheese. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes over low until cheese is melted. If you wish, you can broil the cheese under your oven broil until it gets toasted and bubbly. Top with a generous serving of fresh oregano or basil (or both) when you are ready to serve.

Serve with zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, or other pasta.

TIPS

If you don't want to roast red peppers, you can purchase them already roasted and jarred in the canned good section of your grocery store near the pickles. Use whatever tomatoes you have available. This recipe also works without dredging the cutlets in flour. I like the flour though because it helps the chicken absorb some of the delicious flavors from the sauce.