Pan-Fried Floured Chicken with Vegetables

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make pan-fried floured chicken? Start by gathering all your ingredients. I used chicken thighs, skinned and boned. Go with medium peppers and tomatoes and a large onion. You can swap the fresh tomato for ketchup, canned tomatoes, or tomato paste — use as much as you like. Mixing different-colored vegetables, like I did, makes for a more vibrant dish. Any fresh herbs work; I used cilantro and thyme.

2. Step 2:

   

   Rinse the chicken under running water. Save the bones and skin from the thighs for another dish, like a broth. Pat the pieces dry with a paper towel so they don't spatter as much when frying.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rub the chicken with salt and spices. If you're using a store-bought spice blend, check the label — these often already contain salt, so account for that or you may over-salt the dish. Let it marinate at room temperature for 15–30 minutes.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel, rinse, and slice the onion into thin half-moons. To keep your eyes from watering, rinse the onion and knife in cold water first. Rubbing the cutting board with a lemon wedge before slicing keeps it from absorbing the oniony smell.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wash the bell peppers, remove the stems, halve them, seed them, and cut into large pieces.

6. Step 6:

   

   Wash the tomato, remove the stem end, and cut it into small, rough pieces. Mine were small, so I used two. Peel and mince the garlic with a press or a fine grater.

7. Step 7:

   

   Roll up each piece of chicken slightly and dredge it in flour on all sides.

8. Step 8:

   

   Use a skillet about 9 inches (22 cm) across. Heat it with a little oil over medium heat and lay in all the chicken pieces. Turn the heat up and brown them on one side.

9. Step 9:

   

   Then flip the chicken, lower the heat, and cook the other side for 10–15 minutes.

10. Step 10:

    

    Cooking it this way keeps the chicken juicy. Once it's browned on the second side, take it out of the pan.

11. Step 11:

    

    In the same oil, cook the onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Don't let it brown — you just want it soft and translucent. Season with a little salt.

12. Step 12:

    

    Add the peppers and chicken to the onion and stir. Simmer for 5 minutes.

13. Step 13:

    

    Add the tomato and garlic to the pan. Stir and let it go another 3 minutes.

14. Step 14:

    

    Finally, add the olives, stir, cover, and leave on low heat for 5 minutes. You can halve the olives lengthwise or slice them into rings — I like to add them whole, so I left them as is.