This easy one-dish supper is full of wonderful, robust Mediterranean flavors and is ready in under 30 minutes.

I highly recommend having all the ingredients lined up before you start to make things easier and the end result will taste like you slaved away for hours over the stove.

Serve it with pasta, rice, mashed or baked spuds and a green veg on the side.

It couldn’t be simpler and will become a favorite on those days when you have to whip up something delicious in a hurry.

Just a note – always use good wine in cooking. If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it – and on that basis, make sure you pour a glass for yourself while this is simmering away.

Chicken Braised in White Wine with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers

CHICKEN BRAISED IN WHITE WINE with BLACK OLIVES, CAPERS & TOMATOES

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/2 lbs (1 -1.15k) of boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

6 tablespoons of finely chopped shallots or minced red onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

The leaves stripped off a couple of stalks of fresh tarragon and chopped

8 ripe plum tomatoes cut into smallish chunks (a can of organic chopped tomatoes will do in a pinch)

¼ cup (50ml) of red wine or sherry vinegar

¼ cup (50ml measure) of capers, rinsed & drained

½ cup (100ml measure) of pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed & drained

1 cup (200ml) of decent white wine

2 tablespoons of tomato paste/puree

A small handful of chopped fresh parsley leaves to finish

Action:

Pat the chicken dry and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and butter together in a heavy sauté pan with a lid, then add the chicken and sauté the pieces over a medium-high heat, turning frequently until they’re slightly browned (approx 5 minutes).

Remove the chicken to a plate then add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook gently until they’re soft. Add everything else  – except the chicken  – and give it all a really good stir to get all the sticky chicken bits off the bottom of the pan.

Now put the chicken back in the pan, stir again and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat, put the lid on and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked right through.

Scatter with chopped parsley before serving.