Chicken Pizzaiola

CYO basketball season started this week. I coach the third and fourth graders at Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is less about basketball and more about keeping twelve kids between the ages of eight and ten from injuring themselves or each other for sixty minutes twice a week. I've been coaching CYO for two years now, and the thing I've learned is that children at this age have two speeds: standing completely still or running at full velocity into another child. There is no middle ground. Dribbling is theoretical. Passing is aspirational. Scoring is accidental. Fun is constant.

The team this year has three kids who can actually play and nine who are there because their parents needed them to be somewhere between 5 and 6 PM on Tuesday and Thursday. I love all twelve of them. I also love that coaching gives me a reason to be at the church twice a week, which keeps me connected to the parish in a way that Sunday Mass alone doesn't. Father Miguel (not my cousin, different Miguel, the Church has a lot of Miguels) told me once that "community is the thing you show up for even when you're tired," and I'm tired every Tuesday and Thursday but I show up anyway.

Sofia comes to practice sometimes. Jessica brings her and sits in the bleachers and Sofia watches the kids run with the intense focus of a scout evaluating talent. She claps when a kid scores, regardless of which team. She also claps when a kid falls, which we're working on. Her enthusiasm is indiscriminate and I love it.

After practice on Thursday, I came home and made a one-pot wonder: chicken and rice, Mexican style. Brown the chicken thighs, remove them, sauté onion and garlic, add rice, tomatoes, chicken broth, cumin, and a can of roasted green chiles. Nestle the chicken back in, cover, and bake at 375 for forty minutes. The rice absorbs all the liquid and the chicken flavor and the chile heat, and you end up with a complete meal in one dish that costs maybe eight bucks to feed three people. This is weeknight cooking. This is Tuesday-night-after-coaching cooking. Simple, fast, and so good that Jessica had seconds, which she only does when she forgets she's trying to eat smaller portions, which happens whenever I make this dish. I'm not sorry.

That forty-minute window while the dish is in the oven is the same window where I decompress — pour a glass of water, sit down, and stop thinking about who kept travelling for the seventh time in a row. Chicken Pizzaiola is that kind of recipe for me: you get the pan going, you get out of its way, and it rewards you with something that tastes like it took effort you did not actually have. The tomatoes do the work. The chicken does the work. You just showed up, same as you did at the gym.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each), pounded to even thickness
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup sliced green olives (optional)
1/2 cup sliced roasted red peppers
4 oz fresh mozzarella or 1/2 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
Fresh basil leaves, for serving

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large, deep oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Sear chicken for 3—4 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate; chicken will not be fully cooked yet.
Build the sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add sliced garlic to the same pan and cook 60 seconds until fragrant. Add red pepper flakes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, and dried basil. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the mix-ins. Stir in the roasted red peppers and olives, if using. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly.
Nestle the chicken back in. Return the seared chicken to the skillet, pressing each piece gently into the sauce. Spoon sauce over the tops.
Finish in the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Top each chicken breast with mozzarella and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake uncovered for 18—22 minutes, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the cheese is melted and bubbling.
Rest and serve. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Scatter fresh basil over the top and serve directly from the pan with crusty bread, pasta, or rice to soak up the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken Pizzaiola — The One-Pot Weeknight Save After a Long Night at the Gym