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Tapenade stuffed chicken thigh stew

For a special family meal or laid-back dinner party I like serving stuffed chicken thighs. This time I stuffed them with tapenade (black olive paste) and made a peperonata stew for them. I served them with mashed potatoes & salad, but rice, pasta or rustic fresh bread would be fine too. This tapenade stuffed chicken thigh stew is perfect for  dinner parties -  you can precook the chicken or even the whole dish, so you can concentrate on the starter and/or dessert on the day.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 1234
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • For the stuffed chicken:
  • 8 chicken thigh fillets
  • 1/2 cup pitted black olives
  • 1.5 tsp capers
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 Tbsp pine nuts optional
  • 1 small handful of parsley
  • Drop of Olive oil
  • ½ tsp chopped chilli optional
  • For the stew:
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs
  • 1 Tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tin of plum tomatoes
  • 200 mL of chicken stock
  • Handful of black pitted olives
  • 1 handful of parsley or coriander finely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp lightly toasted pine nuts optional

Method
 

  1. Lay the chicken thighs on a large chopping boards and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Put the stuffing ingredients into a small food processor and whiz until you get a coarse, sticky paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
  3. Put a a spoonful of this mixture in the middle of the chicken thighs and carefully roll them up. Secure them with mini stainless steel poultry pins.
  4. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a casserole dish and brown the chicken all over, then set them aside.
  5. Thinly slice the onion & red pepper.
  6. Heat the oil in the casserole dish and add the sliced onion & pepper. Cook over low heat, then add the garlic, stir for a few seconds and add the vinegar. Deglaze the dish, then add the tomato purée and herbs. Add the red pepper and pour over the tinned tomatoes and stock. Using a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes. Add any remaining tapenade. Put a lid on and gently cook for 10 minutes, then add the chicken and cook for another 20 minutes or so, until you get a thick sauce. Taste, adjust the seasoning if needed.
  7. Stir in the olives and parsley.
  8. Serve with pine nuts scattered on top.