Chicken with San Marzano tomatoes and Asiago cheese

Yesterday, I was in the mood for something Italian. Back in my youth, I enjoyed going to Italian restaurants in and around Chicago. Often, I would order chicken with pasta, and it would come out garlicky, and with a pungent cheese flavor. That was what I had in mind when I started preparing this.

I finished this in the broiler, down a little ways from the flame. I feel that brightens the flavor of the San Marzano tomatoes and the basil. When this comes out of the broiler, the cheese will have a very brown crust. That’s what I was looking for. The Asiago cheese takes well to browning, and it adds a depth of flavor to the chicken. Here’s how I put this together.

2 boneless chicken thighs

Adobo seasoning

Olive oil

1 large shallot

4 cloves of garlic

1 medium knob onion

1 arbol pepper (or cayenne)

1 large mild jalapeño 

1/2 cup of red wine

28 oz. can of San Marzano tomatoes

10 large fresh basil leaves

2 cups of grated Asiago cheese

1/2 cup of grated Mozzarella cheese

Preparation

Take a very large cast iron pan and heat it on the stove. Open the chicken thighs so that, the inside where the bone was can lay flat. Season both sides with adobo seasoning. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the cast iron pan, and then add the chicken thighs, rough side down. Let that sear, while you cut the onions, peppers and garlic.

Slice the shallot and arbol pepper razor thin. Smash and mince the garlic. Take the knob onion (looks like a green onion with a medium onion at the base) and chop the onion part, and thinly slice most of the green stem. Chop the mild jalapeño (if that worries you, add half a bell pepper instead).

Let the chicken sear for about ten to fifteen minutes. You want it browned, as well as cooked through, but still moist inside. When it is almost there, add the chopped vegetables. Stir and let those soften, about five minutes. Add the wine, and reduce that down by at least half. Now add the tomatoes. Break them up with a knife and fork. Bring that to a simmer.

Tear the basil leaves and stir them into the sauce. Now move the chicken into the center of the pan, shoved right together, so that it is almost like one piece. Pile all the grated Asiago cheese on top of the chicken, and add the Mozzarella cheese on top of that. Place the pan under the broiler, but down a ways from the flame. We want the browning to take about ten minutes, so don’t set it too close to the flame. When the cheese is browned and the tomatoes are sizzling, you are ready to serve.

Serving

Place a cheesy chicken thigh on your plate. Add a pile of spaghetti next to that, and smother the pasta with the tomato sauce. Add some sauce over the chicken as well. Now add some fresh homemade bread, a bowl of olives and open a nice Italian red. Dinner is served.