Chicken in Tomato Sauce With Chickpeas and Kale Recipe

One-Pot Wonders

Yasmin Fahr
Chicken in Tomato Sauce With Chickpeas and Kale Recipe
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  • Yield:Serves 4
  • Active time:45 minutes
  • Total time:45 minutes
  • Rated: 3.5
This recipe appears in:
One-Pot Wonders: Chicken in Tomato Sauce With Chickpeas and Kale

Chicken breasts simmered in a tomato sauce with kale and chickpeas make a delicious and easy one-pot dinner. [Photographs: Yasmin Fahr]

In this quick, easy, and delicious one-pot dinner, chicken breasts are seared, then gently cooked in an herb-filled tomato sauce with chickpeas and hearty kale. Topped with crunchy, seasoned breadcrumbs, this rustic meal comes together in 45 minutes.

Why this recipe works:

  • Browning the chicken first adds both color and flavor to the outside
  • Stirring in the kale and chickpeas at the end prevents them from becoming too soft
  • Toasting the breadcrumbs in the pan before searing the chicken avoids the need to dirty other pots.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced or grated with a Microplane
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • Pinch of dried red chili flakes
  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 cup homemade chicken stock or store-bought, low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups lacinato (Tuscan) kale, stems removed and leaves cut into 2-inch ribbons

Directions

  1. 1.

    Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the breadcrumbs and toast them, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon thyme, and the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Transfer breadcrumbs to plate and set aside.

  2. 2.

    Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and sear on both sides until golden-brown, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

  3. 3.

    Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add shallot and a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add chili flakes and remaining 1 tablespoon each oregano and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, their liquid and the stock and bring to a simmer, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Simmer until sauce has thicken slightly, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

  4. 4.

    Stir in chickpeas and kale and cook until chickpeas are warmed through and kale is wilted, about 2 minutes. Top with the breadcrumbs and serve immediately.

Yasmin Fahr
Contributor

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm seriously obsessed with kale (yes, go ahead and give me a hard time for it, but it's delicious!!) and avocados, though there are a few other ingredients that make the list. I will also try to make anything as spicy as I can without upsetting my fellow eaters. Otherwise, I'm into yoga, traveling, eating and all of the other good things in life!

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