Chicken with Tomato, Anchovy and Black Olive Sauce

, from Issue #25. September, 2015
Photography by Vanessa Wu.
Chicken with Tomato, Anchovy and Black Olive Sauce

Create a rich sauce made with chicken, anchovies and olives, then serve over pasta and scatter with parmesan. Bliss.

 

Serves: 4

INGREDIENTS

Chicken
4 single, boneless chicken breasts, skin on
1/2 cup well seasoned plain flour 
2 tablespoons olive oil
knob of butter

Tomato, anchovy and black olive sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken stock
2 large anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1⁄2 cup black olives, halved and pitted
2 large vine tomatoes, diced small
handful fresh basil, ripped
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Parmesan cheese for shaving

METHOD

Chicken: Dust the chicken in seasoned flour and shake off excess.

​Heat a non-stick sauté pan with the olive oil, over a medium heat. Add the butter, which should sizzle and melt, but not burn, as soon as it hits the pan. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 4 minutes. Don't continuously move or lift it, as you want a nice golden crust to form. Turn and cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the chicken. To test if the chicken is cooked through, pierce the thickest part with a skewer. The juices should run clear. Remove to a plate and cover loosely to keep warm.

Spoon off any excess clear fat, leaving behind one tablespoon of fat as well as all the rich juices and sticky bits on the base of the pan. Use the same pan to then make the sauce. 

Sauce: Add the garlic, chicken stock, anchovies, orange zest and black olives to the sauté pan.

Cook over a high heat until reduced by half, scraping the base of the pan to release the sticky bits. Stir in the tomatoes and basil, season and cook for 2 minutes to just soften the tomatoes.

Slice the chicken on the diagonal. Arrange over hot cooked pasta and spoon over the tomato sauce. Scatter with shaved Parmesan.