During the COVID-19 lockdowns across the world, every Mom wants to make a “one-dish-wonder.” Food that is flavourful, easy, and tastes great, with a few dishes to wash as possible! With four grown children at home, this hi-protein nourishing chicken stew is really popular with my family. It is ideal for lunch or dinner served with just a salad, rice, or pasta. Spicy, wholesome, and easy, I’m sure you will want to serve this for your guests as well!
Ingredients:
- 3-4 boneless chicken breast halves (about 350 g)
- 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red chili, ground
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (whole) or 1 can of (12-ounce) tomatoes Click here to buy canned tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed or 1 cup of boiled chickpeas, Click here to buy canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- ¼ cup olives, sliced Click here to buy olives
- ½ teaspoon dry rosemary or 1 tsp fresh rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme (optional)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- 3 ounces feta, crumbled (about ½ cup), Click here to buy cheese
- 3 tablespoons flat parsley, chopped
- 2 wedges of orange
- 4 tablespoons olive oil Click here to buy Olive Oil
Instructions:
- Slice chicken in 2-inch strips. Transfer to a medium bowl and add garlic, lemon juice, cumin, ground red chili, ½ teaspoon salt, and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken and marinade to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is lightly brown and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with their juice, chickpeas, olives, rosemary, thyme, and sugar or maple syrup and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add a ½ cup water, and reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more. Add feta with parsley, and allow to cook for 2 minutes more.
- Squeeze orange wedges on chicken when serving.
Critical Ingredients:
This recipe tastes great whether you use cherry tomatoes, regular tomatoes, or canned tomatoes. In India, I prefer canned as our tomatoes aren’t very juicy. In season I would go with cherry tomatoes because they look so pretty! If you are using regular tomatoes, add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar for more flavor and sweetness. The sugar is optional. As far as herbs go, you don’t need all three, even dried oregano will taste great! As we have all learned during the COVID-19 episode, well-cooked food tastes great even when it’s made with whatever is at hand! Ground chili can be replaced with crushed chilies. Olives can be substituted with capers or even mushrooms! No feta, some Indian paneer with. squeeze of lime will do. Happy cooking!