Chicken Catalan

 

I ate at a Spanish tapas restaurant last night, so now I'm thinking of all food Spanish. I like the way many Spanish dishes combine rich flavors together to make tasty and healthy sauces. The Catalonia region of Spain features many sweet and savory dishes. This particular dish combines sweet fruit flavors together with savory ones from tomatoes and onions to make a stew like main dish. It's good served with brown rice or another whole grain. Add a green salad for a full meal. This dish also easily doubles, make extra and freeze for an easy dinner later. Cooking time is about 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped red or green pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates
1 can tomatoes (I used Italian style stewed tomatoes)
1/2 cup red wine
4 tsp pine nuts

Directions:  Heat olive oil in a non stick skillet. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook just until the chicken begins to brown. Add the raisins, dates, tomatoes, and red wine. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, checking to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Serves next to, or on top of, cooked rice. Top each serving with 1 tsp pine nuts.

Serves 4

Stealthy Cooking Tip: If you don't have dates, any sweet, dried fruit will work. Think dried apricots, plums (prunes), cranberries, or more raisins. The dried fruits add sweetness to the dish that should entice even the most finicky eater to gobble this up. If your family doesn't like big chunks of tomato, add the liquid from the canned tomatoes to the pan, then finely chop the tomatoes.