Sautéed Chicken and Bell Peppers

I'll be the first to admit I haven't been posting much lately. Usually, this means I've been busy and not cooking anything new or particularly interesting. A lot of times, I fall back on old standbys which have already appeared on the blog, such as char siu. Lately, I've been cooking a lot of simple and quick chicken dishes, some of which are devised out of whatever I happen to have at the time. Sometimes, they turn out really well, and I think it's time to highlight some of these humble dinner workhorses. Grilled chicken cutlets and Chengdu-style chicken (known as "five spice chicken" in our house) are two that have seen a lot of action recently.

This particular creation was an instant hit and immediately became a staple weeknight dinner. The first time I made it, I basically dumped all the ingredients into the pan at once. Instead of properly browning, the vegetables sweated, forming into their own sauce. As I've given more thought to it, I've cooked them the ingredients in batches (as in my standard way to cook fried rice). As such, I add a little chicken stock to form up a quick pan sauce at the end.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. (approx.) boneless chicken thighs
• 2 bell peppers (I use 1 green and 1 red)
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• Oregano to taste (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Lime wedges for serving
• Olive oil

Rub

• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. Spanish paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

Start by preparing the vegetables. Cut the onions into slices, lengthwise. Cut the tops off the bell peppers, remove the core, and cut into strips. Finely mince the garlic. Set vegetables aside and cut the chicken into pieces about square inch -- 4-5 pieces per thigh. In a large bowl, combine chicken and all rub ingredients. Toss to coat well.

In a large pan (I use cast iron), heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken in two batches until lightly browned. Set chicken aside. 

Turn the heat down a bit. Add all the sliced peppers and onion into the pan, adding oil as needed. Season with about 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. 

Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and add oregano, if using. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Add chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits. Let the stock reduce into a coating while continuing to stir. 

Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over. The dish goes well with rice, bread, or both.