Chickpea pepper chicken is quick to prepare and it makes a wonderful midweek lunch or dinner. The rich and creamy sauce is made exclusively with red peppers and red onions and is complemented with chickpeas. Moist chicken and crunchy topping make this dish especially satisfying.
For this chicken recipe, I got inspired by the one and only, Jamie Oliver. I watch his shows almost every Saturday. His way of cooking and explaining is simple and a real joy to watch. It gives that feeling that everyone can make it and that it was made for everyone. I love it. And then, he came up with this amazing dish. It is basically made with just a few ingredients. But the combination of those is really delicious.
Peppers, onions, chicken and chickpeas. Yeah, that was it. Also, you can skip the chicken and make it totally vegan. What I love about this recipe is that peppers and onions are used twice. How clever is that? Wink. Firstly, in the creamy and rich “sauce” where they are blended. And secondly, as the crunchy topping.
Furthermore, you can use any red pepper and any shade of red will work, too. Red peppers have been the longest on the vine. Consequently, they are fully ripe and packed with a larger amount of nutritions than green or yellow ones. They add some colour to the dish as well, just like by these summer squash boats.
More, I combined red banana peppers and one orange-red bell pepper. The latest I also used as a topping, in order to bring out a lovely colour contrast. Also, I suggest using red onion for the topping. Red onions have a mild flavour and a gorgeous colour. They are just perfect for salads, salsas and other raw preparations.
The addition of the chickpeas is just brilliant! They have texture, but they are creamy. And they pair great with chicken and peppers. Oh, I love chickpeas. They are extremely versatile, too. These are just two of my favourite recipes with chickpeas: burst sweet cherry tomato pasta and hummus stuffed baked sweet potato. Lovely! Anyway, you can easily replace them with white beans or any other beans.
Additionally, chickpea pepper sauce can be made the evening before. And so, all you need to do the next day is brown some chicken and dice the topping. Amazing for those who are in a hurry or don’t like to spend too much time in the kitchen but still want to enjoy a delicious meal.
Ingredients for about 2-3 portions of chickpea pepper chicken:
- 4 medium red paprikas
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 red onions
- 1 Tbsp of tomato paste
- 400 g chickpeas (canned)
- 400 g chicken (breast cut into strips)
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbsp of vinegar
- fresh rosemary (optional)
First off, wash the peppers, peel the onions and garlic. Cut off a quarter of one pepper and half of one onion and put aside. Then, deseed the rest of the peppers and roughly chop them. Slice the garlic and chop the onions, too.
In a larger non-sticking pan or pot, drizzle some olive oil and heat it up. Once hot, add the chopped peppers, onions and garlic. Saute for about a minute with occasional stirring. Then, stir in the tomato paste and two splashes of water. Cover it and cook until tender.
Once the peppers get tender, transfer them into a blender or simply use an immersion blender and blitz until a smooth and creamy texture appears. At this point, pour the pepper mixture back into the pot and add the rinsed chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5 more minutes. Then, cover and put aside.
Furthermore, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add the chicken strips. Sprinkle them with some salt and cook until golden brown on all sides.
In the meantime, prepare the topping. Dice the pepper and the onion you put aside into small cubes. Place them in a small bowl and mix with salt, pepper and vinegar.
Finally, divide the chickpea pepper “sauce” between the plates, add the lovely chicken and top with the crunchy pepper-onion mix. This chickpea pepper chicken is a delicious meal, perfect for lunch and weekly dinner. I added some fresh rosemary on top, too.
Enjoy!
