Chicken and Peppers - Chicken with Peppers, Onions, Garlic and Capers. AKA Chicken Aphrodite

Chicken with peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic!

I love coming up with recipes like this – dishes that embody all the best of my favorite recipes. Chicken with peppers is quick and easy – but it tastes like it was simmered all day. It uses all fresh ingredients – and it uses colorful bell peppers, which are often a bit tricky to get my kids to eat. In this case however, they never notice that they’re eating a variety of gorgeously colored, nutrient packed foods. They just think they’re eating something delicious. Which they are!

Make sure to add the parsley only at the last minute, and if you don't care for capers as much, either rinse them, chop them into smaller pieces, or skip them altogether, although I think they add a great dimension. My friend LeeAnn named this dish Chicken Aphrodite, for no reason other than it’s so delicious you’ll love it – and I think that says it all.

Chicken and Peppers - Ingredients

• 6 pieces bacon, chopped
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste or 1 anchovy filet
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions - Chicken and Peppers

1. In a Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed saucepan, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside.

2. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper on both sides. In the same pan, cook chicken in oil from the bacon until golden on both sides. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

3. Again in the same pan, add onion, peppers and garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring well. The moisture from the vegetables will begin to deglaze the pan. Add the white wine, tomatoes, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and anchovy paste or filet. Stir well to finish collecting all the good brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

4. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that collected. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a bare simmer, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through – between 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the chicken pieces.

5. Sprinkle to top with the reserved bacon, capers and parsley, and serve.