Devilish Chicken

This is one of my favorite recipes and a great flavorful go to for chicken. It is from the Rachel Ray 30- Minute Get Real Meals cook book. She has some wonderful recipes in this book and if you are one that whats to watch their weight this book is wonderful. As she says everything in moderation. Like me, Rachel Ray loves pasta. In this book she has her pasta recipes but use only uses 1/4 lb of pasta in a recipe that serves 4 people. That is not much pasta for one person and you still can get your pasta fix.

In the book this recipe is paired with what she calls "Cool Green Beans" I did not make the bean with the recipe because it calls for mint leave and my wonderful husband is not crazy about mint with his veggies. The chicken should take you 30 minutes to cook (if you are Rachel Ray) so it's a fast meal too for those weeknight dinners. Another great thing about this recipe, and a lot of Rachel Ray recipes, is that they are easy follow and easy for anyone to cook. Not a lot of steps and if there are they are simple. So with out further ado here is one of my favorites.

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard or 1 tablespoon of spicy mustard
salt and ground black pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breats
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, quartered lengthwise and sliced into thin strips
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1/2 handful of chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons cold butter

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the EVOO over medium-high heat. Mix the paprika and mustard with some salt and pepper and season chicken breasts on both sides. Add the seasoned chicken to the skillet and brown on the first side for 3 minutes, flip, and then sear the second side, 2 minutes. Remove the chicken and reserve on a plate under a foil tent.

To the pan, add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes. Cook the vegetables for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock to the vegetables and bring to a simmer. Add the reserved chicken back to the pan and cook for 10 minutes more, turning the chicken over every now and then.

Remove the chicken from the skillet to a platter. To finish the sauce, turn the heat off and add the parsley and butter, stirring to melt the butter. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!!