Kitchen Antics - Chicken in Faux Ragoût

What you'll need

• 4 Chicken thighs (you can either spend time trimming the fat off them or throw them in as is. You can leave the bones. You can make a knacker's yard of it all, if that is the sort of thing that pleases you. Just make sure you add it.)
• 1 onion
• 2 jellybean-sized cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 green capsicum, chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 jar (about 500g) spaghetti sauce - try and find one that has roast vegetables in it.
• 1 Cup couscous
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon oil
• 2 bottles of India Pale Ale. (chilled to about 7 degrees)

Stage 1

Apply exactly 1 beer into a glass and carefully commence the Chopping of the Vegetables. Absolve diffidence gradually by paying close attention to a consistent chopping motion.

Stage 2

Heat the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan while heating fry pan with oil, and apply chicken once suitably hot. Brown the chicken thighs and then remove to the saucepan. Cover and keep on a medium heat, observing and stirring occasionally.

Stage 3

After cleaning the fry-pan, heat again with oil, and cook onion until they soften. Apply garlic to fry-pan and continue stirring. Once the Onion & garlic combo start to brown, apply the capsicum and tomato. Reduce heat to medium, pour in 1/2 cup water, and cook for another 4 minutes (approximately).

Stage 4

Carefully pour the cooked vegetables into the saucepan containing the chicken. Stir thoroughly, and simmer for 10 minutes to ensure the chicken is cooked through. This is no time for botulism.

Stage 5

Prepare the couscous thus: heat 1 Cup water with a teaspoon of oil in a small saucepan. Once boiling, remove from heat, add 1 Cup couscous, cover, and let it sit for exactly 3 minutes. After this time has elapsed, stir 1/2 tablespoon butter through with a fork.

Stage 6

Apply couscous & chicken to a plate; remaining IPA to glass. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.

Published on Saturday, 23 January 2010