Teach Kids to Eat Healthy by Cooking Healthy: Italian Chicken with Bell Pepper Relish

Italian Chicken with Bell Pepper Relish

I know it's makeover Wednesday, but we haven't had any leftovers all week. Which, is kind of a good thing! Tonight, we dug down deep into the pantry and created a masterpiece of what we found. We call it "Italian Chicken with Bell Pepper Relish" and it's amazing.

Ingredients Needed:

2-3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
8 oz. tomato sauce (tomato sauce is something I ALWAYS have on hand)
1 package turkey pepperoni (SNACK TIP - keep turkey pepperoni on hand for a quick snack!)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (I had parmigiano reggiano on hand. Just use your favorite cheese!)
2 bell peppers, finely diced (I had green, red and yellow on hand)
1 small red onion
1 tbsp. dill (fresh or dried)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (more or less depending on your taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Equipment Needed:

Wax Paper
Rolling Pin
Frying Pan
Sharp Knife
Can Opener
Mixing Bowl
Cheese Grater (I like to grate my own cheese to avoid preservatives in pre-shredded cheeses.)

How to Make Italian Chicken with Bell Pepper Relish

Step 1 - Finely dice the bell pepper and red onion. In a mixing bowl, add the diced peppers, red onion, dill and rice wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Step 2 - Cut 2 large pieces of wax paper. Butterfly each breast with a sharp knife. Place a chicken breast between them. Using a rolling pin, or a heavy frying pan, pound each breast to approximately 1/2 inch thick.

Step 3 - Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Step 4 - Over medium heat, cook the chicken breast. Because the chicken is thin, it will only take a few minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan.

Step 5 - Using the same pan, still over medium heat, add the bell pepper relish. Toss the mixture around for 1-2 minutes. This transfers some of the chicken flavor to the relish, giving it a yummy cohesive flavor to the dish. **Make sure you work fast, since there is not fat added here, the relish will stick to the pan quickly!!

Step 6 - Time to plate! Top each chicken breast with as much or as little tomato sauce as you would like. Add a few heaping spoonfuls of bell pepper relish. Finish the dish with grated cheese.