two p's in a pan

I would have never thought of it, but poultry and pork work nicely together. I was at a loss as to what to prepare for supper last night. I wasn’t getting any inspiration from the weekly circulars, so I did an internet research for chicken recipes. I found recipes for roasted chicken, chicken Parmesan and a recipe for chicken and sausage bites with apple cider vinegar sauce. Hmm, the last one sounded interesting. A visit to my local Pastosa and a chat with Giovanni, where I picked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and Italian pork sausage links with fennel. Also, needed for the recipe was garlic, onion, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes and, of course, apple cider vinegar. I had only a small amount left, but I love De Nigris Premium Aged Apple Vinegar from Modena. It’s so smooth tasting. 

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I read over the recipe and it was quite easy and quick to prepare.  I did some prep work prior to cooking the dish. The chicken is sliced on the bias into strips and salted. The onion is peeled and cut into sections, but left attached at the root. Using my microplane, I minced the garlic and got my liquids out. Growing in my garden this summer, is rosemary, which is needed to flavor the dish.

The chicken strips are sautéed for 2-3 minutes, then removed. Next in the pan are the sausage links which cook for 4-5 minutes. The onion wedges are added to the pan with the sausage and are cooked until they get caramelized, which can take approximately 8 minutes. Once this is done, it’s everybody back in the pan with seasonings and liquids added. The pan is covered and the meats finish cooking in about 4-5 minutes. The last step is to remove the lid and boil the sauce until reduced to a glaze, this takes maybe 1-2 minutes.

This dish was delicious. The little bit of honey gave the dish a hint of sweetness. The little bit of apple cider vinegar gave it brightness. The sausage with the fennel gave the chicken the boost of flavor that it needs. Overall another winner and it was done in approximately 45 minutes! So, forget about ordering from those packaged meal services. With some planning and pantry staples on hand, there are dishes that can be prepared just as quickly and for less money.