Roman Style Chicken

I hosted Sunday Night Dinner last weekend and I made Roman Style Chicken.  This is a perfect meal to make when you are hosting a dinner party because it tastes better if you make it the night before.  When I host SND I like to do all the work ahead of time so I can spend time with my guests.  I think that it is expected that I will cook something healthy for SND.  Dre always asks, "Is this low fat?" - because she knows that I try to keep it healthy.  This is a great example of a low fat meal that is full of vegetables.  It was a big hit at SND.

This recipe can be altered to include your favorite vegetables.  This time I included mushrooms and peppers.  In the past I have added zucchini or artichoke hearts.  The basic concept of this recipe is to sear chicken at a high heat, then create a tomato based sauce, add the chicken and cook low and slow.  The actual proportions and additional ingredients can be to taste.  You can add a hot pepper if you want to add a little kick to the dish.

Serves 6-8

You will need:
2 pounds whole chicken breasts
8 ounces mushrooms
3 peppers (I used red and green)
3 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
salt
pepper
olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
pasta
parmesan

Step 1:
Heat a large pot over medium high heat.  Then add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pot.  Coat the chicken with salt and pepper and then add to the pot in batches.  Cook for about 2 minutes per side, until browned.  Set aside.  And continue until all the chicken has been browned.

Step 2:
In the same pot, saute the mushrooms and peppers for about 5 minutes.  You can use 1 part olive oil and 2 parts white wine for sautéing to reduce the amount of fat.  Then add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, white wine, and chicken broth.  Stir together.  Add italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

Step 3:
Bring the sauce to a slow boil.  Then add the chicken.  Let simmer for 40 minutes.  You could serve right away, or for extra tender chicken, let it sit overnight.  Then simmer for an additional hour before serving.  Just before serving use 2 forks to shred the chicken.

I always serve over pasta with parmesan on top.