Chicken stewed in tomato cream sauce starts with marinating the chicken overnight in a simple combination of salt and pepper.
The next day, the chicken is browned, hand-crushed stewed tomatoes and cream are added along with onion, garlic, chilies, thyme, bay leaves and sweet peas.
The chicken is cooked ever so slowly over low heat and, by the time the sauce has reduced and thickened, the stew is done and the chicken has absorbed all the wonderful flavors from the sauce, herbs and spices.
Any chicken cut can be substituted for the thighs. You can use thighs and legs or whole wings. I don’t recommend breast meat though because it will dry up with the hour-long cooking.
As with any stew, chicken in tomato cream sauce is tastier after sitting in the fridge overnight. Reheat gently to prevent scorching.
Chicken stewed in tomato cream sauce
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs
- salt
- pepper
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- 2 bird’s eye chilies
- 1 ½ cups canned stewed tomatoes - with the liquid
- ¾ cup cream
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup sweet peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Wipe the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Mix well. Place in a covered container and leave overnight in the fridge.
- Mince the garlic.
- Thinly slice the onion
- Slit the chilies.
- Heat a non-stick cooking pan. Lay the chicken pieces, skin side down, in a single layer. Cook over high heat until the skins are browned and blistered. Flip to brown the opposite side.
- Scoop out the chicken, transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- In the rendered fat, brown the garlic, onion and chilies.
- Add the tomatoes (lightly crush the tomatoes with your hand), the juice and the cream.
- Throw in the bay leaves and thyme.
- Season with salt and pepper. Stir well.
- Add the chicken pieces to the sauce, skin side up and in a single layer.
- Scatter the peas over and around the chicken.
- Simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until cooked through and the sauce has reduced to less than half.
