Braised Chicken Thighs and Sweet Bell Peppers

Photo by Katie Noble / Styled by Catrine Kelty

Served with some crusty French bread to sop up the juices, this simple dish of chicken with soft, sweet, colorful peppers feels like it took longer to make than it actually does. It’s even better the next day. Make a batch on the weekend and save it for when the week gets busy.

Serves 4–6

8 bone-in chicken thighs
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large onion, sliced
3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, seeded and cored and cut into ½-inch strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped)
1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup water
½ cup minced parsley, for serving

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 2 more minutes. Move chicken thighs to a plate.

Remove any skin stuck to the pan and pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat. Lower heat to medium and cook onion until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers, stir occasionally and cook until everything is soft, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly before adding the tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Return chicken to the pan, skin side up, and top with some of the pepper mixture; add the water. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

This recipe appeared in the Fall 2018 issue as part of a larger story on One Dish Dinners.