I can’t take full credit for this recipe. It’s my take on the Chicken & Capsicum Hotpot recipe that was published at The House of Tudor, hence the fact that I’ve called my variant “Royal Stew”.

Chicken and Capsicum Royal Stew served on steamed rice

Credit goes to The House of Tudor for the original Chicken & Capsicum Hotpot recipe on which my dish is based. It’s a fairly light but filling meal, of subtle but pleasant flavours, that surely must be healthy by virtue of its generous dose of vegetables.

Ingredients

• 2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp wholemeal flour
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Pinch of paprika
• 1 red, and 1 yellow capsicum, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 100g spinach, cut into strips
• 800g canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, plus extra to garnish
• 1.5 tbsp dry mixed Italian herbs
• Salt and pepper
• Steamed rice to serve – optionally flavoured (see Variations below)

Method

1. Toss the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess. Heat the oil in a wide frying pan and cook the chicken quickly until it is lightly browned, then remove from the pan and allow to cool a little.
2. On high heat, add the capsicum, followed by onion, and stir for a few minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, paprika, and spinach, and stir for another couple of minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and oregano, and bring to boil, stirring in mixed Italian herbs.
4. Cut the chicken chunks into smaller pieces and arrange over the vegetables in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 25-35mins, or until chicken is completely cooked and tender.
5. Once finished, serve over steamed rice and garnish with fresh oregano.

Variations

• I used a rice cooker to prepare steamed basmati rice, and flavoured it by stirring in off-the-shelf satay sauce (1.5 tbsp) and soy sauce (3 tsp) before turning on the rice cooker. A little oyster sauce might also be a nice alternative. Note that I found the sauces seemed to settle on the bottom and burn slightly underneath, but the rice was otherwise fine.
• The original recipe explains that, instead of with rice, this dish can be served more like a stew with crusty wholemeal bread either on the side or torn and placed on top of the mix at the end.
• If you’re looking for a fuller flavour, I’m sure you can experiment. I was tempted to add a little satay sauce and tomato paste during the simmer, and possibly more garlic.

Comments