Sicilian Chicken and Dill Green Beans

Tonight, I prepared Sicilian Chicken and Dill Green Beans.  One was much better than the other. I had such high hopes for the Dill Green Beans, but they were a disappointment for me.  That is probably because I did not follow the recipe.  I broke one of my rules and for that, I did not end up with the results that I wanted.  My mom always taught me that whenever you try a new recipe, you should follow the recipe exactly.  That way if you decide to change something later, you'll know that the difference is the result of your change.  For that reason, I will not be posting the bean recipe tonight.  I am going to start over, try them again and give an update on that result.

The Sicilian Chicken was delicious and full of flavor.  Whenever I first found this recipe online (I can't remember where at this point), I was unsure about cooking a dish with stewed tomatoes.  I am not a huge tomato fan to begin with, but stewed tomatoes sounded even worse.  THIS IS A LIE!!  In this dish, they are absolutely amazing!  The smells from preparing this very simple entree will confirm the flavor that you are sure to experience.  This is an easy recipe and you do not have to be a skilled chef to make it.

My preferences about this recipe:

Whenever I cook chicken, I always make sure that I dry it with a paper towel before I put it in the skillet. I am not sure why I do this or where I discovered it, but try it and let me know about your experience. I also used green olives instead of capers.  Being a dirty martini drinker, I have plenty of olives.  I decided not to spend money on capers when I have so many olives.

Sicilian Chicken Recipe

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

19 oz. canned stewed tomatoes

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. red wine vinegar

2 tsp. capers, chopped or green olives

fresh parsley, chopped

Combine basil, oregano, salt and pepper; sprinkle half of the mixture over both sides of chicken. In a large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate and set aside. In skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic and remaining basil mixture, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add tomatoes, breaking up with spoon, cinnamon, vinegar and capers; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Sprinkle with parsley

Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.

My friend, Cyndi made Chicken Marsala this weekend.  I'm trying to get her recipe and some of her thoughts on the recipe so that I can share them.  I'm excited to try it!