Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

I've made this dinner many times, but this time, I had all the ingredients on hand, which made it much easier to whip up. This is a quickie, and it is definitely a staple in our house. I really like the flavor of the chicken and peppers together, and the hint of balsamic brings out a really nice sweetness in the chicken pepper combo. This time around, Kevin found it a tad too salty, but I thought it was perfect. The chicken may have been a little overcooked this time, as well, but I like it that way, so I think this was much more of a success for me, than for Kevin. Maya isn't a very tough audience, so she liked it just fine! This dish pairs really nicely with rice pilaf, or roasted potatoes. We had just bought 10 pounds of red taters at Costco this weekend, so I served it with garlic roasted potatoes. It was a nice, weekday dinner. I will be making this again - only juicier, and less salty!





Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Other Time: 40 minutes minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast half and about 1/2 cup bell pepper mixture)

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed (I omitted these, because I didn't have them on hand)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.


CALORIES 282 ; FAT 11g (sat 2.1g,mono 6.4g,poly 1.7g); CHOLESTEROL 94mg; CALCIUM 38mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.8g; SODIUM 644mg; PROTEIN 35.9g; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 2mg

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2010