For Mother’s day, my mum went away with my dad to a rainforest retreat. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to spend time with us, but due to crazy weather in Brisbane the week prior, they had to change their dates. As a result, I did not see my mum for Mother’s day until later in the afternoon. She said all she wanted was for a nice dinner, but for nothing too fancy. So I trawled through my Pinterest board and found this recipe.

I know my love of cooking came from my mum. She is always whipping amazing meals up in the kitchen, and loves teaching me new things. I don’t know what I would do without her, and I’m so grateful to have such an amazing cooking role model in my life. I wanted to cook her something that would show a little of how much I love her, and to thank her for everything she’s done for me.

This recipe is relatively simple, quick and the best part is that it’s really delicious. I was surprised by just how much flavour the dish had with such a short cooking time. This would be a great dish for anyone looking to impress with a short amount of time, or even for a nice week night dinner. Most importantly, my mum loved it, which is the main thing on Mother’s Day.

Italian Style Braised Chicken

Adapted From Saveur

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of Olive Oil
• 500 grams of Chicken Breast
• 1/3 cup of plain flour (I used gluten free flour and it worked really well)
• 1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 carrots, finely sliced
• 1 red capsicum, chopped into small pieces
• 2 celery stalks, chopped into small pieces
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped,
• About a cup of mushrooms, finely sliced
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped parsley
• 1 can of diced tomatoes

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan that has a lid, over a medium-high heat.
2. Chop the chicken breast into smaller chunks – about 3 per breast. Season with salt and pepper and coat with flour.
3. Place the chicken pieces in the pan, cooking until browned. This will take about 10-12 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. If you find the chicken isn’t fitting in the pan, do this in batches. Ensure you also turn the chicken over on all sides to brown completely.
4. Transfer the chicken onto a plate and set aside.
5. To the pan, add rosemary, garlic, bay leaf, carrot, capsicum, onion and the celery. Cook this until golden and until the vegetables begin to soften – about 6-8 minutes. Ensure you keep stirring the pan to avoid sticking.
6. Add the wine and mushrooms, and cooking until this is reduced by half – about three minutes. Stir constantly, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
7. Return the chicken to the pan and add the tomatoes, bringing to a simmer.
8. Cook for 30 minutes on a low heat, covered, until the chicken is tender.
9. Once the chicken is ready, stir through the parsley.
10. To serve, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a serving platter, and spoon the mixture over the top. Accompany with a green vegetable and potato.

And there you have it. It’s a really simple dish, really quick to make, but it packs a lot of flavour. It went down a treat for Mother’s Day dinner, and I would make it again. Its one of those pins that I’ve had sitting there for ages but never bothered making, and I’m so glad that I gave it a go!

Also, I’ve just discovered a new app for photos on my phone. What do you guys think? I’m loving testing the best way to present the food I’m making!

Until next time, happy cooking!

Ella xx