I have been busy. Very, very busy.

I have not used my stove, oven or any kitchen stuff in five days.

I miss cooking.

Instead I’m packing and unpacking.

Did I evern mention how much I love travel, but hate packing?

But, tonight I will be packing again, this time I take off to the seas. For the next 4 days I will on this ship.

It will be me and the best friend, and usually we party it up when we get together - Some mayhem is sure to occur.

Along with large amount of eating, drinking and reading.

My kindle is going too.

In the meantime, I totally forgot that I had this and had not share it with you.

My bad.

But, I promise this dish is so easy to prepare and so good, that you will forgive me.

Plus, when I come back, I got lots of goodies in the horizon.

This recipe is and old one, I even forgot I had it, until I found my very old cookbook, the one that I wrote in my younger years, where I still put little heart on top of my “i” (yes, very lame).

This one is sure to go under the Q&E list (quick and easy for those not in the lingo wangon) –It just needs a bit of prep ahead of time, and it has a secret ingredient that gives it that extra spin on it. I bet that most will taste it and will never guess what that secret ingredient is. And when you tell them, that light bulb moment will happen - the one where they go: “oh, I never thought of that”. Or you could just keep that secret between us and call it Chicken Surprise.

Ready?

Chicken with Strawberry Marmalade
Serves 4 to 6

Tips:

For best results marinate the chicken overnight.
I use chicken thighs but a whole chicken works just as well

Ingredients

for the marinate

1 package of chicken thighs – (or whole chicken – cut into pieces)
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
¼ teaspoon of oregano
¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce

for the dish

3 tablespoons of oil
1 cup of heavy cream (or sour cream would work as well)
1 cup of strawberry jelly or marmalade
2 large red bell peppers, seeded, sliced into thin strips
1 large onion, peeled and cut into strips
2 tablespoon of white vinegar
¼ cup of parsley - chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

1 day ahead, marinate the chicken in a plastic bag with the oregano, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper.
Place a large deep skillet over medium high heat add the oil and in batches sauté the marinated pieces of chicken until lighting browned on each side, once ready, remove and put aside.
While the chicken pieces are getting browned, in a bowl, combine the cup of heavy cream (or sour cream) with the strawberry jelly/marmalade, put aside.
In the same skillet add a bit more of oil (if needed) add the onions, sprinkle a bit of salt and cook until onions begin to color and are a bit translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the pepper and stir well to combine with the onions. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, the pepper should be “al dente”, cooked with a little crunch in them. Add the vinegar and stir a bit more. Add the cream/jelly combination and cook for about 3-5 minutes.
Add the chicken pieces along with any juices and cook for about 10 more minutes. Then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20 more minutes, or until the chicken is done.
To serve, sprinkle with parsley.

This goes really well with white rice or even couscous.