Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Red Pepper-Tomato Sauce

This was the dish that Marc prepared along with the green beans. At first I was skeptical about kalmata olives being the base of the stuffing, however they were not overpowering at all and the sweetness of the tomato and pepper blended well with the saltiness of the olives. Overall a delicious meal and fun to make.

Sauce

1 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, whole
1 bay leaf
1 cup red pepper, diced
1 cup tomato, diced (2 medium)
1 cup cold water
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Chicken & Stuffing

3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tsp cilantro, chopped
1 cup kalmata olives, pitted
4 to 5 T olive oil

6 to 8 chicken thighs, boned
1/4 cup water

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Directions for Sauce: heat oil in a large sauce pan over high heat. Add the garlic clove, bay leaf, peppers, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and summer until the peppers are tender, about 25mins. Add the cilantro halfway through cooking. Transfer mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and return to pan to keep warm. Makes about 1 1/2 cups and can keep in fridge for 1-2 days.

Directions for Stuffing: Drop the garlic, cilantro, olives and 1 T of the oil into food processor and process until finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse again and scrap into a small bowl. This can also be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for 2 days.

Directions for Chicken: Preheat oven to 400F. Season the inside of the thighs with salt and pepper. Put about 1 1/2 tsp of olive paste inside each thigh. Tie closed with kitchen string, or use toothpicks. Or you can do as we did and use nothing, just let the chicken cook together.

Heat 2 T oil in a large oven proof skillet over med-high heat until hot. Lower the heat to medium add the chicken thighs and saute until brown all over. Put the skillet in the oven until chicken opaque,a bout 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.

Pour off the fat from the pan and add the water (1/4 cup) and palce over medium heat and stir and scrap up all the browned bits from the bottom and sides of the pan (this will add amazing flavour to the sauce). Simmer until slightly reduced and add the sauce to the pan and reheat gently.

Plate the chicken and pour desired about of sauce over top of the chicken and serve with a nice side dish (recommend Lemon Butter Green Beans with Almonds). Another option is to make this a true italian dish by placing the chicken on a cup of cooked linguini pasta and pouring the sauce over it.

Serves: 2 (4 if served with pasta)