Spanish Chicken Skillet Supper

I don’t know about you, but I love skillet suppers in the summer. Any excuse NOT to use the oven while still serving up a hot, delicious meal works for me. With this particular chicken supper, some steamed rice and a toss salad is all you’ll need to make the meal complete.

This wonderful skillet chicken is packed with all the things that make a chicken dish worth enjoying. We are talking bell peppers, onions and minced garlic. While this recipe lets you use the bell pepper of choice, I will admit I like the flavor of a yellow or orange pepper over that of a green any day. And with good reason. A bell pepper is a bell pepper, no matter the color. Color comes into play as a measure of maturity. As a bell pepper matures and ripens, the color changes. Green is under-ripe, the first stage of a pepper’s life. Red is the most ripe and yellow or orange is the middle of that range. Eat green fruit and it has a bitter taste. The more it ripens, the sweeter the flavor. So it is with a bell pepper. Sweetness does not apply to jalapeño or  habanero or Serrano or any of those other “spicy” peppers. Let a jalapeño turn red and you’ll get a lot more heat. But that’s a subject for another day.

Spanish Chicken Skillet Supper
3 Chicken Breasts, cut in half
1 Bell Pepper, Green, Yellow or Orange, cut into strips
1 large Onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons Paprika
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/4 teaspoon Coarse Black Pepper
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 can (14 oz) diced Tomatoes, undrained (see note)
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Red Pepper Flakes, optional to taste

Note: For added heat, use Ro-Tel Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chilies. Omit or greatly reduce the red pepper flakes if using the Ro-Tel tomatoes.

Rinse chicken breast and pat dry. Cut each breast in half width-wise to create 6 pieces. Set aside.

Core bell pepper, cut into narrow strips. Set aside.

Peel onion, cut in half and then into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Set aside.

Mix flour, paprika, minced garlic, salt, thyme and black pepper in small bowl. Coat chicken with 2 tablespoons of the seasoned flour.

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes per side or until browned. Remove from skillet. Add bell pepper and onion; cook and stir 5 minutes or until tender.

Stir in tomatoes, broth and remaining seasoned flour. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Stir in red pepper, if desired. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.