Sunday, February 03, 2008

Easy suppers: Tomato and Olive Chicken

BBC Good Food was my favourite food magazine during my first few years in Scotland. I must admit that these days I subscribe to Delicious and only buy Good Food occasionally, as I find the former visually more attractive and the recipes more intriguing. However, many of my favourite recipes are still from the BBC Good Food magazine. Take this Spanish-influenced tomato and olive chicken that was first published in the March 1999 issue and then again in February 2001 issue. I've made it many, many times over the last nine years, and the combination of tomato sauce and salty olives makes this a true winner. Not many ingredients, plenty of flavour and character, and on your table in 30 minutes. Got that?

Tomato and Olive Chicken
(Tomati-oliivikana)
Serves 4



4 skinless chicken breasts (or mini fillets)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 Tbsp concentrated tomato puree/paste
300 ml (just over a cup) of chicken stock/bouillon
a handful of black olives (I used dry-cured olives)
plain/all-purpose flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a deep plate. Dust chicken fillets in the flour mixture, shake off any extra flour.
Heat some olive oil in a frying pan/skillet over medium heat. Add chicken fillets* and fry them on both sides until brown - about 10 minutes in total. Remove the chicken fillets from the pan, keep warm.
Add garlic to the pan, fry for a minute.
Add tomato paste and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then add the chicken pieces and olives. Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 15 minutes, turning the chicken half way through. The dish is ready when the chicken is cooked and the sauce slightly thickened.
Taste, season with salt if necessary.
Serve with steamed rice and a green salad.

* For quicker cooking, you may want to use mini fillets, or then place the chicken fillets between two sheets of clingfilm and gently pound them with your hand to flatten them.

10 comments:

Lisa said...

Sounds simple and fabulous, looks good enough to serve to guests, and the Spanish influence is inspiring. I will definitely try this one. Thanks!

Annemarie said...

You're right - you can't argue with that at all! I do love food magazines. :)

lobstersquad said...

sure looks good. I think if they wanted to sell it well here in a magazine they´d say it´s Italian. you know how it is, if it sounds exotic, it´s so much better.

Anonymous said...

Have you tried using green olives stuffed with garlic instead of black olives?

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

I've always got odd bits of tomato products (canned whole tomatoes, chopped, tomato sauce, etc.) in my freezer; I keep one container in there and I add the leftovers from whatever I'm cooking. Then, when the container is filled, I make an all-purpose tomato sauce. And then I look for recipes like this one!

Tiina said...

Very nice recipe & so simple! Thanks for posting this!

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Oh I love the simplicity of this dish. Just perfect for quick dinners!

Pille said...

Lisa – well, I do think it looks pretty elegant, so I’ve served it to guests just fine. Plus the flavours are quite unusual to an Estonian palate (the tangy tomato and salty olives together), so that’s another reason to serve..
Annemarie – I sometimes think I love them too much :)
Lobstersquad – I was wondering if you’d consider it Spanish at all :) I’m pretty sure the BBGF insisted it’s Spanish. But then it could be Italian. I actually used Greek olives, and could just as well call it Greek :)
Pene – no I haven’t. I prefer to use olives which haven’t been pitted before, as they have much more flavour.
Lydia – well, I do hope this will please your palate!
Cinnamonda – you’re most welcome!

Meeta – indeed :)

ButterPeanut said...

I made this for guests last night and it turned out fantastic! It looked great and tasted great and was super easy.

Samantha said...

Although my husband isn't a big fan of olives, I've prepared this recipes a couple of days ago. It's simply delicious. Thanks

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