Chicken Parmigiana

Not strictly a camping dish, as I made this at home on the barbecue. However, it was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever created. Seriously – it was absolutely awesome.

We were actually given two large bags of tomatoes by a family friend, and rather than watch them go to waste, I looked through the cupboards for something to use them with, and this recipe just fell into my head. It was almost like divine intervention from the tomato gods or something.

Anyway, you could probably cook this over an open fire, if you can keep the embers hot for long enough to turn fresh tomatoes into sauce, but it will be very tricky. Like I said, I cheated and cooked this on the side gas burner on my grill at home, so I had a constant, steady heat which made things much easier.

Ingredients

  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • 6 Large tomatoes
  • A handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 Large onion
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • Garlic (of course)
  • Bay leaf
  • Italian seasoning
  • Pepper Jack cheese slices

Method

Dice the onion and bell pepper into small 1/2″ pieces. Add to the skillet with a little hot oil and fry for a minute or two. Add crushed, diced or chopped garlic to taste.

Dice the large tomatoes into small chunks. Add the diced tomatoes to the onion and let it simmer, stirring occasionally. Once the tomatoes start to break down, you may need to add  1/2 cup of water to keep things fluid. The idea is to break down the tomatoes into a nice rich sauce, and adding a little water will prevent the sauce from drying out and turning into tomato paste. No one wants tomato paste.

Throw in a couple of bay leaves and some seasoning while the tomatoes are rendering into a sauce.

Once the tomatoes have almost converted into a nice rich sauce, add the whole chicken breasts and baste with the sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.

5 minutes before serving, add sliced fresh cherry tomatoes to the dish and stir them in. They will want to break down quickly but don’t let them overcook. The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes against the fresh tomato sauce is the secret to making this dish taste absolutely fantastic.

2 Minutes before serving, lay a slice of cheese over each chicken breast and allow it to melt.

Serve with fresh sourdough bread or a pasta of your choice. and of course, a great red wine. In this case, the wine is an excellent house Cabernet from the Bear Flag Inn, in Calistoga, California. And if you’re looking to travel through Napa wine country, I would highly recommend this charming little bed and breakfast for the perfect weekend getaway.

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