Farmer’s Chicken
We were fortunate to return to Europe this past summer for an extended stay. While there, we visited Florence where we attended a cooking school one evening. It was a great, educational experience that ended with us enjoying the delicious meal we had cooked.
Our favorite dish was so simple yet so delicious. It was a braised chicken dish with roasted peppers and onions in a savory balsamic sauce. It was so good, we came home with the recipe and gave it a try.
We started with roasting a bell pepper. The original version of this dish calls for one bell pepper. We actually used two. The roasting is very easy but it changes the flavor of the bell pepper into a dark rich vegetable. Simply place in the oven for about 40 minutes total. It is considered done when the skin is very wrinkly and somewhat charred.
Be sure to let it cool before peeling and slicing!
While the bell pepper is cooling from the oven, slice the red onion into about 1/2 inch half moons. Set aside.
Prep all the chicken at once as the cooking will go fast. Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour.
In the US we tend to use olive oil. This recipe uses butter which heats faster but does have a lower burning point than oil.
This recipe can use any cut of chicken, but we used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the class so we used them at home too. We like the consistency of the pieces of thighs for easy cooking. And while considered healthier, breast meat can just be too dry.
Browning up beautifully and evenly.
After adding the onions, add the desired amount of salt and pepper. At this point, it is all smelling so good!
What is so great about this recipe is it’s simplicity. Add the balsamic then incorporate into the chicken mixture and a rich sauce develops.
Add the roasted bell peppers back. In this version two were used, but it can be cut back to one.
Add the rosemary and cook for about 10 minutes more. We covered the skillet to keep all the delicious sauce from evaporating. It’s then done and ready to serve!
In Tavola Cooking School Version
When we first made this dish when we took a cooking class in Florence. We used a be more bell peppers as we love the flavor. Other than that, we did not change a thing. I think our version came out just as good!
To see our adventure cooking in Florence click: HERE
Farmers Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (approx one package)
- 1/2 cup (or more) 000 Flour
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1-2 red bell peppers, roasted and sliced into strips
- 1 small red onion, sliced into 1/2 in half moons
- 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig of rosemary, whole
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil as needed for frying
Instructions
- Place the red pepper(s) in a shallow baking pan into the oven preheated to 350. Roast for 20 minutes and turn. Roast another 20 minutes until the skin is soft and slightly charred. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl and cover. Let cool.
- Once the red pepper is cool, peel, seed and slice into long strips. Set aside.
- Lightly coat the chicken pieces with the flour.
- Melt butter in a large skillet. Once the butter is melted, place the chicken in the skillet. Brown slowly on all sides. Add olive oil to the butter mixture if needed.
- Add the red onion to the cooked chicken in the skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the onion is slightly soft.
- Add the balsamic vinegar, incorporate to the chicken and onions.
- Add the roasted bell pepper strips and top with the rosemary sprig. Reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. If the sauce becomes dry add a bit of water.
- Serve at once directly from the skillet. Enjoy!
