I don’t often cook anymore with chicken on the bone. When I do, it is often on the grill or in the slow cooker, but in the frying pan? I cannot recall the last time.
As a kid, most kitchen knives are the same. Sure, a big knife is impressive, but you really don’t think of the various purposes for each knife. When you would need a knife, you’d grab whatever fit your hand the best. We never had a huge meat cleaver, so when you’d want a knife to finish accessorizing your serial killer Halloween costume, you’d grab the biggest knife you had (until your parent told you in no uncertain terms to put that knife back and there is no way you are going trick-or-treating with a real knife. What were you thinking?!).
I recall as a pre-teen, my father taking a long, thin knife out of the block and asking me what that knife was for. After rolling his eyes at my response (“uh…to cut things?”), he told me about the boning knife. How the ultra sharp knife could easily cut through the connective tissue and how the thin blade allowed it to flex around the curves of the bone to allow you to get nice clean cut. For a good number of years I de-boned my own chicken breasts as it was not common to see boneless breasts for sale.
This dish calls for chicken on the bone. It was soooooo delicious.
I had boneless thighs, so I cheated there, but the breasts had bones in them.
Brown up the chicken.
Then cook the veggies and the prosciutto.
Add it back together and put the lid on it.
This picture is both a mess and really beautiful. I almost used it for the lead in picture.
Roman-style Chicken
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Makes: 6 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
- 4 skinless chicken breast halves, with ribs
- 2 skinless chicken thighs, with bones
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Directions:
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.
If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve. If making ahead of time, transfer the chicken and sauce to a storage container, cool, and refrigerate. The next day, reheat the chicken to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the capers and the parsley and serve.
SERVES 6; Calories: 266; Total Fat 13 grams; Saturated Fat: 2 grams; Protein: 28 grams; Total carbohydrates: 8 grams; Sugar: 4 grams; Fiber 1.5 grams; Cholesterol: 76 milligrams; Sodium: 1,307 milligrams
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/roman-style-chicken-recipe/index.html
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
When I was in school, my mom thought it was about time I learned to make chicken. It was in the early 80’s. She taught me how to cut it and and get all the skin off. My mom never made chicken with the skin on. I thought it was weird when I had it that way at other people’s homes. I only made a chicken once.
Right after that, the stores started carrying already cut chicken. Soon after that, you could get the boneless, chicken breasts. That meant we never had other cuts of chicken again. Unless my dad was grilling, in which case, they got a package of breasts and a package of legs.
Now, I couldn’t cut a chicken to save my life. I sometimes get a whole one to cook in a crock pot. But not often. Breasts are just much easier to deal with.
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I agree with Urbannight, with all of the store bought, de-boned chicken you can get now, I think people have lost this skill. Myself included. I tried to debone an entire chicken once this past summer but it became a bit of a hack job. The legs and wings were easy, getting the breasts off clean was the hard part. Needless to say, I need more practice!!! When I cook a whole bird I usually just end up cutting the back down one side of the spine and flattening it out to cook on my Egg.
Thanks for sharing though, you gave me something to work on that I had forgotten about.
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You know… I have no idea which knives are for what, and we have one of those fancy little block thingys that hold several knives. Your food always looks delish!!
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Looks delicious! And I bet it smells delicious too!!
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I’ve made this dish for a crowd before–with boneless breasts! 🙂 It’s so, so good, either way.
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I love my boning knife. It’s a commercial quality Dick® which is a little embarrassing when describing a boning knife 🙂
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Beautiful dish. Chicken thigh are my favorite! So tender, so much flavor!
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Unfortunately, if my kids don’t do the dishes, I’m left to use whatever knife is clean. This recipe looks so good! Gotta definitely try it this week.
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This looks like great flavors. And I love meat on the bone, including chicken, for that extra flavor…
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that came out beautifully!
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