Chicken and Fresh Bell Peppers

Jack’s Chicken and Roasted Peppers

(low carb recipe)

• 6 servings

Ingredients

6 red bell peppers (roasted and prepared)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste

1/2 lemon, sliced in paper-thin circles

1 cup white wine

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

3 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1/2 bunch fresh basil, hand-torn

1 cup chicken broth

Directions

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

On a foil-covered cookie sheet, arrange bell peppers, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the peppers for 15-30 minutes, turning periodically, so they become charred or blistered on all sides. 

NOTE: using tongs for this process makes turning them much easier

Place roasted peppers into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let self-steam for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Cores and seeds are easily removed by pulling from the top of the peppers. Peel off the blackened skins. Coarsely chop  peppers into chunks, or slice the peppers depending on how you would like the finished meal to look, and set aside.

Cover the bottom of a dutch oven (or large pan) with olive oil and place on medium heat. Season chicken with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper as desired and place in dutch oven. Brown chicken skin-side down, until crisp, about 5 minutes. 

Gently turn the chicken over with tongs and brown the other side about 3 minutes. Though it is not fully cooked, remove the chicken from pan and place on a plate for later.

Discard used olive oil, and replace with fresh. Put the pan back on the stove over medium heat. Add the anchovy paste, red pepper flakes, garlic, onion, tomatoes, lemon slices, capers, 1/2 of the roasted red peppers, and 1/2 of the basil; season with salt and pepper, simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often, until everything breaks down. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Add the remaining roasted peppers and basil. Tuck the chicken into the stew, pouring the wine and chicken broth over mixture. Place the dutch oven into the preheated oven and cook for 20 to 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Serve with rice, potatoes, peas, or corn bread and your favorite vegetables.

Chile Relleno Casserole (peppers)

Jack’s Chile Relleno Casserole (yum!) 
Adapted from Cook-Eat-Share

Egg Mixture Ingredients:

12 fresh roasted Anaheim peppers (or Pablanos or your favorite chili peppers if Anaheims are not available).

6 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

6 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups shredded Jack Cheese

1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar

Sauce Ingredients:

1 can of tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

fresh oregano 1/4 cup

salt, pepper

fresh cilantro 1/4 cup

fresh parsley (small bunch)

fresh basil (small bunch)

fresh thyme (a few sprigs)

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

How to roast peppers: see our post "Roasting Peppers" for “how-to” here. Or view the "labels" in the right column.

How to make Jack’s easy sauce:

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until desired consistency. Pour into sauce pan on stove and cook at low heat until sauce is ready.

Casserole:

Devein peppers and strip of all seeds (unless you like it REALLY hot!), and set aside on paper towels to cool and dry. 

Lightly grease bottom of baking dish with favorite oil. Layer peppers on bottom of casserole dish to create a solid bottom. Sprinkle a layer of cheese mix. Then add another layer of  peppers, and more cheese.

In large bowl, beat egg whites until they softly peak and set aside. In another bowl, mix  the milk, flour, and egg yolks. Salt and pepper as desired. Slowly blend the milk mixture with the egg whites, being careful to not over beat. 

Pour egg mixture over the layers of peppers and cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Leaving the oven on, remove casserole from oven. 

Spoon the sauce evenly over the top and bake for another 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven. If desired, sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

As a lunch or supper dish, try serving with Mexican Rice, Salsa, and beans.

As a breakfast entree, serve with delicious fruits like strawberries or cantaloup.


This was served with a Chorizo-Rice mixture.

Roasting Peppers

Roasting Red Bell Peppers (or any other peppers)

Roasted red bell peppers enhance everything! Side dishes, eggs, salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes, antipasto platters. The list goes on and on! Make them fresh each time, or keep a ready store of them canned or frozen. 

To roast, start by washing the peppers and removing the stickers. Char them on high heat on a gas range stove by placing them directly onto the grates, use the Barbeque, or roast them in the oven. We marinade ours adhead of time in a plastic baggy. Use tongs to turn the pepper to blacken on all sides (or char to your taste). If roasting in the oven, preheat to 450F. Arrange the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven, turning every 15 minutes until done (about 30 minutes). 

However the peppers have been blackened, once they are done place in a covered bowl or brown paper bag. The steam from the peppers makes the skin easier to peel off.

 
Once the peppers have cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard. This can be done with fingers or a sharp knife. Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. 

Rinsing the peppers will diminish the smoky flavor. When the skins and seeds have been removed, cover the peppers in oil, adding garlic slices or herbs if desired, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Or Coarsely chop  peppers into chunks, or slice the peppers depending on how you would like the finished meal to look, and set aside.