A Family That Eats Together: Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Marin Mommies presents this week's guest recipe from Nicole Cibellis, Marin mom and author of the blog A Family that Eats Together, where she shares meal plans and recipes that will please foodies and children alike. Nicole is also the creator of the new Little Froglet line of children's activewear.

Nicole's meal plan for this week features skirt steak with chimichurri dressing, tomato pesto penne, chicken with zucchini and cherry tomatoes, grilled eggplant, red pepper, and tomato foccacia sandwiches

Building on my famous quick roasted chicken thighs, this recipe uses the best of fresh seasonal favorites such as sweet red bell peppers and vine ripened tomatoes. We mopped up the sauce with a fresh loaf of herbed bread but pasta would be a nice accompaniment too.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

for the chicken

• 4 chicken thighs with skin and bone
• ¼ cup pitted kalmata olives, finely chopped
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground pepper

for the sauce

• 3 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1- 28 ounce can plum tomatoes)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 475ºF.
• Mix the olives, cheese, garlic and oregano in a bowl. Portion it out so that each chicken thigh will have a portion of stuffing. Gently lift the skin and place a portion of stuffing under the skin. Place all the chicken in an oven safe dish. Pour wine over top. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top of the chicken and grind the pepper over top, to taste. Place, uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes or until the juices of the chicken run clear.
• While the chicken is cooking, heat a sauté pan to medium and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add peppers and tomatoes. Salt and pepper, to taste and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. Using a hand blender or stand blender, puree until the sauce is smooth. Keep warm until the chicken is done.
• Plate chicken with sauce and serve with your favorite pasta or fresh bread.