Cooking lunch was a fast and furious affair. It was after one o’clock in the afternoon and I wanted to be in and out of the kitchen as fast as I could. But I had to feed my family. Chicken is always a winner with them so I cooked this chicken and baby portobello mushrooms in tomato and basil sauce — fast, easy but not at all lacking in alluring flavors and exquisite aromas.
Chicken thighs were browned in the fat rendered from the skin. By the time they were browned, a nice crust had formed on the entire surface of each chicken thigh. The aromatics and tomato sauce were added and the chicken cooked in them just long enough to get cooked through and soak up the flavors. Basil leaves and baby portobello mushrooms were added during the last five minutes of cooking.
- 8 chicken thighs
- 1 large onion thinly sliced
- 6 cloves of garlic finely minced
- 1 can of stewed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 20 basil leaves
- 8 baby portobello mushrooms quartered
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In a non-stick pan, arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer, skin side down. Cook over high heat until the skins render fat and are lightly browned. Flip the chicken thighs over and lightly brown the other side as well.
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Add the garlic, onion and stewed tomatoes, crushing the whole tomatoes with your hand. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is slightly reduced. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
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Uncover the pan, add the basil leaves and quartered portobello mushrooms. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for another five minutes.
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Garnish with torn fresh parsley and serve hot.
