Murder Most Fowl: Balsamic Chicken by Ang Pompano

ANG POMPANO: Hi, everyone! I’m so excited to officially join the crew here at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen!

Some of you might remember me from guest posts, but if we haven’t met yet, I’m Ang Pompano. I write two mystery series: the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency and the Reluctant Food Critic. I’m also a co-publisher at Crime Spell Books and one of the editors of the Best New England Crime Stories anthology.

Now I get to add “blogger at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen” to the mix and I couldn’t be happier. Huge thanks to my fellow bloggers for the warm welcome. I already feel like part of the family.

What can you expect from me? I love good food, but I leave the fancy stuff to my wife Annette, she’s the great cook. Around here, at Mystery Lover’s Kitchen, I’ll be sharing easy, down-to-earth recipes. Comfort food often with an Italian twist, just like my characters enjoy.

Before you try the chicken, don’t forget to read all the way to the end and leave a comment to be entered in my giveaway. I’m giving two commenters a copy of either When It’s Time for Leaving or the second in the series, Blood Ties and Deadly Lies.

In today’s post, I’m sharing Balsamic Chicken from my Blue Palmetto series. Al DeLucia makes it for Maxine, though in the book, he forgets to turn on the oven, and… well, let’s just say the plot thickens. But don’t worry, I’ll remember to turn it on this time. In fact, let’s get that oven pre-heated to 350° while we gather the ingredients.

 Ingredients

4 large boneless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper to taste

1 clove of garlic peeled and crushed 

1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon of pepper jelly 

fresh basil  to taste

oregano to taste

1 medium red Bermuda onion

3 red, green, or yellow peppers

6 small potatoes sliced in half

12 compari tomatoes cut in half

1 cup chicken stock

4 tablespoons of  olive oil

1/8 cup toasted pignoli (pine nuts) 

This is the same balsamic chicken recipe Al DeLucia whipped up to impress his P.I. girlfriend, Maxine, in When It’s Time for Leaving. It didn’t quite win her over but follow these steps and you’ll have them coming back for seconds.

Steps

Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste

Crush the garlic and brown in 4 tablespoons of oil to flavor the oil then remove. (note: I’m not a garlic fan so I use only one clove and remove it. You may want to use more  or none. Your choice.)

Partly-pan fry the chicken breasts 2-3 minutes on each side in the oil (do not cook through. Remove the chicken and set aside.)

Brown the potatoes first as they take longer to cook.

Add the chopped Bermuda onion and peppers to the pan and brown. You may need to add a bit more oil.

Add the tomatoes, herbs, 1 cup chicken stock and ¼ cup vinegar to create a sauce.

Add a heaping tablespoon of hot pepper jelly.

Fold the chicken back into the pan and bake at 350° for ½ hour.

Garnish with basil and pignoli

Enjoy with a side of your choice and a nice Chianti.

Thanks so much for joining me for my first post on Mystery Lovers' Kitchen. I'd love to hear from you! Don’t forget to leave a comment and enter the giveaway!  My new book, Blood Ties and Deadly Lies, releases on July 1. You can pre-order it here. Also, please follow me on Facebook and visit my website at angpompano.com. 

Ang Pompano is an Agatha Award-nominated author, editor, and publisher. He writes the Blue Palmetto Detective Agency series and the Reluctant Food Columnist series. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, Annette, an artist who cooks even better than he does, and their two rescue dogs, who love his cooking but are only mildly interested in his writing.