Braised Chicken and Vegetables
This one-pan meal features juicy, pan-seared chicken thighs, braised with colorful vegetables, and topped with parmesan cheese. Quick, easy, and insanely delicious. Works with chicken breasts too!
There are very few ingredients in this dish, but there’s tons of flavor. Much of the flavor in this chicken dish comes from the caramelized vegetables. Onions, bell peppers, and garlic are delightfully aromatic, and the tomatoes sweeten the dish while creating a sauce for the chicken. And since the chicken is pan-seared first, all the little bits of browned chicken are incorporated, adding tremendous depth of flavor.
I used chicken thighs, but chicken breasts work. If you want to swap in chicken breasts, use 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts and reduce the cooking time by a few minutes (chicken breasts cook more quickly than thighs).
Feel free to switch up the cheese. I love the addition of parmesan cheese in this dish because it’s salty and nutty and partners well with the sweet vegetables. That said, you can use your favorite melting cheese – including cheddar, Swiss, Monterey jack, pepper jack, and mozzarella.
What should you serve with this chicken and vegetables? I suggest adding rice, or pasta, or mashed potatoes, or your favorite cooked grain. Since there are chicken and veggies in the same pan, you need little else.
Braised Chicken and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow or red onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- Chopped fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
- Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables and drizzle over any juices from the plate.
- Simmer for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.