This delicious Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers is a straight-forward recipe that will bring the sunshine of the Mediterranean to your dinner table.
Check out this video that gives step by step instructions on how to make Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers. As an added bonus, you’ll see me making my Allergy Friendly Chocolate Cake too 🙂
As a busy mom, I am always looking for recipes that I can make ahead and warm up when dinner time arrives, and this is the perfect recipe for that. It is a quick-quick-slow recipe that involves spending approximately 30 mins actively cooking in the kitchen, but it then cooks in the oven (or simmers on the hob) for an hour, which makes it the perfect make ahead meal. It is even better when warmed up the next day, so it’s great for those of us who rely on leftovers! I also regularly freeze several portions of it to have dinner on hand when things don’t go to plan, or when I need a break. In fact, I usually double this recipe so that we can have leftovers.
Ingredients Needed to make Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers
- 4-5 chicken legs, skin on, bone in
- 150g lardons
- 1 large onion, slice
- 1-2 red peppers, depending on size, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 can of tomatoes
- Fresh herbs (Sage, oregano and parsley), finely chopped or 1-2 tsp of dried herbs
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- Green beans and pasta or rice to serve
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Chicken Legs
I like to use both the chicken thighs and drumsticks (they sell them as one cut here in France) with the skin on and the bone in. That way, you get a lot of the benefits of the nutrition found in the skin and the bones. I also adds a lot of flavour!
Since I leave the skin on, it is important to fry the meat before adding the liquid. Cooking in the oven will help to keep the skin crispy, at least for those chicken pieces that are on the top.
Onion and Garlic
For me, these are a staple for almost every stew-like dish I make. They add so much flavour and are an integral part of Mediterranean cuisine.
Red Peppers
I love how soft these get during the slow cooking process. They almost melt into the sauce and give it a delicate sweetness. You could swap them for green peppers but you would not get the same flavour in the sauce.
Canned Tomatoes
I try and buy the best quality canned tomatoes I can, especially when they are on sale! If you look at the ingredient list, you will find that some of the cheaper canned tomatoes only contain 62% tomatoes, the rest is water. I try and buy canned tomatoes that have 90% tomatoes or more in the ingredients.
Herbs
This is a case of use what you have for this recipe! If you have fresh herbs use them (I especially like sage, oregano and parsley but I think thym, basil and rosemary would work too). The total amount of herbs should come to one small bunch.
If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried, just be aware that the flavour of dried herbs is stronger than fresh, so you don’t need as much in terms of quantity. 3 tsps will probably be enough but you can adjust to your own personal preference.
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers
Although there are a couple more steps to this recipe than some of my others, it is still pretty straightforward, even for a beginner cook. It is slow cooked in the oven, which is what brings all of the flavours out, so you really can’t go wrong!
So, let’s get started!
Prepare and Fry the Bacon and Vegetables
Preheat your oven to 150°C Fan.
In a large ovenproof pan or dutch oven, fry the lardons (bacon) until they render their fat and are starting to brown.
Meanwhile, slice the onion, the peppers and prepare the garlic.
Add the onions to the pan and fry until soft but not brown. Crush in the garlic and immediately remove the mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave in a bowl to one side.
Brown the Chicken
Pour around 2 tbsp of olive oil (or 1 tbsp duck fat) into the pan and heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Brown the chicken legs on both sides, using tongs to turn half way through. This usually takes about 5-8 mins. Be careful not to overcrowd your pan as the meat will not sear well. You can fry 2-3 legs at once if your pan is too small. Salt the chicken with about 1/2 tsp salt while they are browning.
Assemble the Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers and Bake
Remove all of the meat from the pan and add back in the onion, bacon and garlic mix. Add the peppers and stir well. Next, add 1 can of tomatoes and 1/4 can water (swirl the water around the can to remove every last bit of tomato). Finely chop your herbs, if using fresh, and add to the tomato mixture with 1/2 tsp salt and some freshly ground pepper. Stir well and place the chicken on top.
Note: be careful with the salt, the bacon is already salty so don’t add too much straight away. Taste the dish before serving and add more at the end if necessary.
Bring the sauce to the boil, cover and cook in the oven at 150°C for 1h. Alternatively, you can simmer on the stove for 1h on a very low heat. Just be careful that there is enough liquid so that it does not burn.
Serve
Check the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 74°C when cooked through.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Serve with green beans or another green vegetable, rice, pasta, polenta or even chips (fries)!
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Did you make this Mediterranean Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers? Let me know how it turned out in the comments, I love to hear from you 🙂
Are you looking for more chicken dishes? Check out my Easy Chicken, Lemon and Courgette Tagine.
Find my other gluten and dairy dinners here.
Mediterranean Chicken With Tomatoes and Peppers
Ingredients
- 4-5 chicken legs skin on, bone in
- 150 g lardons
- 1 large onion sliced
- 1-2 red peppers depending on size, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 can of tomatoes
- Fresh herbs Sage, oregano and parsley, finely chopped or 1-2 tsp of dried herbs
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- Green beans and pasta or rice to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 150°C Fan.
- In a large ovenproof pan or dutch oven, fry the lardons (bacon) until they render their fat and are starting to brown.
- Meanwhile, slice the onion, the peppers and prepare the garlic.
- Add the onions to the pan and fry until soft but not brown. Crush in the garlic and immediately remove the mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon and leave in a bowl to one side.
- Pour around 2 tbsp of olive oil (or 1 tbsp duck fat) into the pan and heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Brown the chicken legs on both sides, using tongs to turn half way through. This usually takes about 5-8 mins. Be careful not to overcrowd your pan as the meat will not sear well. You can fry 2-3 legs at once if your pan is too small. Salt the chicken with about 1/2 tsp salt while they are browning.
- Remove all of the meat from the pan and add back in the onion, bacon and garlic mix. Add the peppers and stir well. Next, add 1 can of tomatoes and 1/4 can water (swirl the water around the can to remove every last bit of tomato). Finely chop your herbs, if using fresh, and add to the tomato mixture with 1/2 tsp salt and some freshly ground pepper. Stir well and place the chicken on top.
- Note: be careful with the salt, the bacon is already salty so don’t add too much straight away. Taste the dish before serving and add more at the end if necessary.
- Bring the sauce to the boil, cover and cook in the oven at 150°C for 1h. Alternatively, you can simmer on the stove for 1h on a very low heat. Just be careful that there is enough liquid so that it does not burn.
- Check the chicken is thoroughly cooked before serving. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 74°C when cooked through.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Serve with green beans or another green vegetable, rice, pasta, polenta or even chips (fries)!
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