This dish is traditionally Roman and it is very common in Roman Jewish cooking. A small restaurant or osteria in Rome is the best place to eat chicken with peppers. Otherwise, try cooking it yourself, as this is an everyday dish that is sure to become a favourite. It is easy, full of flavour and healthy. The traditional recipe calls for green peppers, which have a sharp and sometimes bitter taste. I prefer to use sweeter peppers, such as red, yellow or orange, and sometimes I add a green one just to give an extra kick to the flavour. It is usually cooked in a saucepan on the stove, and I would recommend that. However, you can also cook it in the oven simply by adding all the ingredients together from the beginning and adding some extra white wine ten minutes before it’s ready.
Preparation time: 45 minutes. Serves 4-6 as main course
Ingredients
● 1 small chicken or 6-8 serving pieces of chicken
● 3-4 sliced peppers (red, yellow, green, orange)
● 2 cloves crushed garlic
● 1 finely sliced onion
● 200g plum tomatoes in tomato juice, passata or sliced ripe tomatoes
● 5-6 leaves of fresh basil
● Approx. 100ml of white wine
● Pinch dry crushed red chilli (optional)
● 3-4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
● Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
● Clean the chicken thoroughly and cut it, if necessary, into serving pieces.
● Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and stir gently.
● Tip: Add a few tablespoons of warm water to the onion. This will allow the onion to soften while it is cooking. The water will evaporate after a few minutes.
● Once the water has evaporated and the onion has turned golden, add the garlic, the chili, salt and pepper and a splash of white wine.
● After a couple of minutes add the tomatoes and stir well. Leave to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the chicken and stir thoroughly.
● Reduce the flame to low and cover. Leave the chicken to cook until tender for 10-15 minutes, turning it occasionally.
● Now add the peppers, splash more white wine and leave it to cook on a low heat and covered, for another 20-30 minutes. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes and increase the heat to medium.
● When the chicken is cooked and the sauce has gained consistency, add the basil, a last splash of wine and leave it to evaporate for a couple of minutes over medium heat.
● Serve hot with some rice or vegetables on the side.
