Pan Roasted Chicken and Black Bean Ragu

This meal is packed with flavour and pretty as a picture. I buy most of my beans (black, chickpea etc.) dehydrated to eliminate the huge amounts of salt that come along with most of the canned options. This means that I soak the beans overnight, then cook them for about 90 minutes before cooking with them. Yes, it seems like a lot of work, but I usually cook a few cups at a time and use them throughout the next week or two in different dishes. Serves 3-6.

Ingredients
2 bell peppers, halved (I used 1 green, 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow)
1 jalapeno, finely diced
2 cups black beans OR 1 can black beans
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
8-10 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless
olive oil
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
handful of cherry tomatoes, or 1 tomato, chopped
splash of tomato or Clamato juice
2-3 Romain lettuce leaves

Directions
Cut peppers in half. Coat well with oil and put them on a tray under the broiler for about 8-10 minutes, turning once, or until all sides are charred.

Place peppers into a bowl and cover with saran wrap; set aside.

Heat about a tsp of oil in a sauce pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until softened then reduce to low heat and add beans.

Peel skins from peppers, chop into ribbons and add to beans. Pour in stock and mix well. Keep over low heat until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

Heat a non-stick skillet over med-high heat. Add thighs, allowing them to cook for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown on one side. Flip chicken and cover with lid, allowing chicken to cook for about 5 minutes. Chicken should be golden brown on both sides and firm to the touch. Remove from pot, add tomato juice to pan to deglaze the tasty bits from the bottom of the pan, add tomato to pan and stir for about one minute.

To plate the dish, first break up the lettuce leaves and divide them among the serving plates. Add about a 1/2 a cup of the bean mixture, top with 2 chicken thighs then a few spoons full of the tomato sauce.



*Credit goes to a fellow blogger: http://jenknowswhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2011/04/pan-roasted-chicken-and-black-bean-ragu.html