By Tina Marinaccio RDN

Chicken Giambotta is a quick and flavorful one pan meal with juicy chicken thighs, spicy sausage, crispy potatoes, and sweet caramelized onions and peppers that comes together quickly, and can be used as a midweek meal.

I have fond memories of this dish from my childhood. My Mom made hers in a cast iron skillet on the stove, but I like to start this on the stove in an oven proof casserole pan, then finish it off in a hot oven to ensure the chicken skin crisps up.

Tips for Cooking Chicken Giambotta

You can also use a whole chicken breast, but thighs will cook faster

Use any leftover potato, onion, and peppers to make Italian hot dogs, or for omelette filling

This dish reheats beautifully if you want to make ahead and store in the frig

Other herbs can be swapped, like thyme or rosemary

If using dried herbs instead of fresh, use about 1 tbsp for each quarter cup fresh

If time allows, boil and cool the potatoes ahead of time*

If time is not allowed to precook the potatoes, cut raw potatoes to ½” dice to ensure they will be cooked through along with all other ingredients

*Boiling and cooling the potatoes ahead of time creates a resistant starch. This type of starch is not digested, and is fermented by your gut microbiome, offering a whole host of benefits, and a smart way to enjoy your carbs without getting big blood sugar spikes.

What are Benefits of Resistant Starch?

-Boosts Gut Health – Gut microbiome makes short chain fatty acids that fuel the gut lining and keep it healthy

-Improves Insulin Sensitivity – The better your body responds to insulin, the better your body can handle carbs and control blood sugar, helping to protect against type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease

-Helps Curb Appetite – Since resistant starches take longer to digest, you stay full longer

-Helps With Weight Loss – Besides curbing hunger, resistant starches use more energy and calories to process

-Helps Keep you Regular – Along with regular exercise and drinking plenty of fluids, resistant starches help prevent constipation

Resistant starches are also found in uncooked oats, such as in overnight oats, cooked, then cooled brown rice, quinoa, plus beans and lentils

Chicken Giambotta

Ingredients:

2 tbsp good olive oil

2 spicy sausages, cut in half crosswise

4 chicken thighs, preferably organic, skin on

Salt and Pepper

2 Vidalia onions, sliced in half moons

4 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 Cubanelle peppers or long hot peppers, sliced

1 each red and yellow bell peppers, sliced

1 cup mixed fresh herbs – e.g. parsley, basil, oregano

2 medium Russet potatoes, preferably cooked in advance, then cooled and cut into 2” cubes

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees convection roast with rack set below middle of oven

Add oil to an oven proof skillet, brown sausage, then set sausage aside on plate

Salt and pepper chicken thighs, then sear skin side down until skin begins to brown, about 3 minutes

Turn chicken thighs, repeat on bottom side, and set aside on plate with sausage

Add onions and garlic to skillet, and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes

Add Cubanelle, and bell peppers, tossing to combine, and sauté until peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes

Add herbs and potatoes, stirring to combine

Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper, taste and adjust seasoning

Place chicken and sausage on top of vegetables, evenly distributed, with skin side up on the thighs

Place skillet in oven, and roast until chicken thighs achieve an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, and skin is crispy

Serve with a simple green salad

 

Tina can be reached at tinatherd@gmail.com