ThinkProof CookingTM
Chicken Thighs Pepperonata: Meal Guide


 

A. Menu

 

Type

Informal Meal

Food

Chicken Pepperonata with Pasta

Little Fruit Charlottes

Booze

Medium-dry white wine

Serves

Four diners; Starting 7.00pm

Sources

"Quick and Easy Practical Cookery", Parragon, Bath, 2002., p157 for main course

"Quick Cook", Thane Prince, Chatto & Windus, London, 1994, p77 for dessert

Notes

Uses a food processor to make breadcrumbs for dessert

 

 

B. Ingredients Checklist

 

Stuff to have or buy:

Ingredient

Already have

To buy

Onion (one; small)

 

 

Red pepper (one)

 

 

Orange (or yellow) pepper (one)

 

 

Green pepper (one)

 

 

Garlic clove (one)

 

 

Oregano (fresh; 1 tablespoon (or dried 1 heaped teaspoon))

 

 

Blackberries (115g/4oz)

 

 

Apricots (tinned, halves or slices; one tin c. 400g/14oz (or eight ripe fresh apricots))

 

 

Butter (60g/2oz)

 

 

Chicken thighs (eight: c.600g/21oz; skinless)

 

 

Olive oil (30ml/2tbsp)

 

 

Chopped tomatoes (tinned; 400g/14oz)

 

 

Flour (wholemeal (but plain is OK); 2 tablespoons)

 

 

Sugar (soft, brown; 60g/2oz)

 

 

Crusty wholemeal/granary loaf OR Pasta (any; 400g/14oz)

 

 

Pepper in grinder

 

 

Medium-dry white wine

 

 

 

 

C. Pre-Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.three hours (e.g. c.3.00pm)

How long?: Pre-preparation takes about 1 minute

 

Ö

 

 

 

1

Put wine in fridge

 

 

D. Preparation

When?: Timeline minus c.one hour (e.g. c.5.00pm)

How long?: Preparation takes about 35 minutes

 

Food Preparation

 

Ö

 

 

 

1

Cut the onion into small slices

 

2

Core, deseed, wash and cut the peppers into slices

 

3

Measure out 2 tablespoons of flour into a cup; Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a second cup

 

4

Put peeled garlic clove into garlic press

 

5

Remove any skin from chicken thighs (if not able to get skinless)

 

6

Open 400g (14oz) tin of tomatoes

 

7

Chop enough fresh oregano to make 1 tablespoon (or pour 1 heaped teaspoon of dried oregano

 

8

Grease four ramekin dishes or other ovenproof small pudding bowls with a little butter; dishes can be around 10cm (4") across by 5cm (2") deep

 

9

Wash 115g (4oz) blackberries; if using fresh apricots, wash and halve them

 

10

Divide apricot slices/halves and blackberries evenly between the dishes (c. four apricot halves and half-a-dozen blackberries per dish)

 

11

Put 175g (6oz) of granary or wholemeal bread into a food processor; Process into breadcrumbs

 

12

Measure out 60g (2oz) of butter and 60g (2oz) of soft brown sugar

 

13

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat; then add the sugar and stir for about a minute

 

14

Turn the heat off and gradually add the breadcrumbs into the mixture, stirring until thoroughly mixed

 

15

Divide the breadcrumb mixture out on top of the fruit in each fruit dish

 

16

Cover the fruit dishes and leave to cool; When cooler, place into fridge

Note: Keep food fresh in containers; Any dairy/fish/meat in fridge

 

 

Timeline Preparation

 

Ö

 

 

 

 

1

Get cooking implements ready:

One large non-stick saucepan with lid; Slotted spoon or spatula; Two large bowls – one for flour; one for set-aside chicken

 

2

Get serving implements ready:

One large serving bowl for chicken; One breadboard and knife for bread; One serving spoon

 

3

Get eating implements ready:

Large plates for first course; Wine glasses; Cutlery

 

4

Make sure ingredients are all to hand:

All prepared items; Chicken; Black pepper; Loaf

 

5

Get changed for dinner

 

 

 

E. Timeline CookingTM

 

Ö

Abs

Rel

Your

 

 

6.06

0

 

Sprinkle flour into large bowl and then cover chicken thighs in the flour

 

6.09

+3

 

Wash hands

 

6.11

+5

 

Heat oil in large non-stick saucepan over a medium-high heat

 

6.13

+7

 

Put chicken thighs to cook in saucepan and stir about until lightly browned

 

6.20

+14

 

With slotted spoon, put fried thighs aside in bowl

 

6.22

+16

 

Add sliced onion and garlic into saucepan and keep stirring and frying until soft

 

6.26

+20

 

Add sliced peppers, tin of tomatoes and oregano to saucepan; Bring to the boil

 

6.31

+25

 

Once boiling, put thighs on top of vegetable mix in saucepan; Season with a grind or two of pepper

 

6.33

+27

 

Cover the saucepan with its lid; Turn heat down to low-medium to allow mixture to simmer

 

6.47

+41

 

Turn thighs over on top of vegetable mix

 

6.49

+43

 

Set plates and serving bowl to warm by oven

 

6.58

+52

 

Check chicken is completely cooked and tender

 

6.59

+53

 

Slice bread into very large chunks

 

7.00

+54

 

Put chicken into serving bowl and serve onto plates with large chunk of bread

 

7.15

+69

 

Turn oven on to 190oC/375oF/Gas Mark 5

 

7.20

+74

 

Take the fruit dishes out of the fridge and put into the oven to bake

 

7.35

+89

 

Take fruit dishes out of the oven and serve

 

 

F. Post-Serving Notes

 

The Meal

 

 

Variations

·      Use pasta instead of bread – 400g/14oz of pasta – put 3 pints (1½ l) water on to boil at +22 minutes; put pasta into boiling water at +38 minutes; give pasta a stir to prevent sticking at +43 minutes; drain in colander at +53 minutes.

·      For the pudding, use peaches instead of apricots; use blueberries or raspberries instead of blackberries

 

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http://www.thinkproof-cooking.com/chickenpepperonata.htm & http://www.timeline-cooking.com/chickenpepperonata.htm June 2007