Here’s an easy recipe that makes use of Summer peppers and fennel. Most of these chicken dinners that I make follow the same basic method: Season chicken overnight, sear in a little olive oil, remove chicken while preparing other ingredients in the same skillet, add chicken back into the skillet and roast until tender. Serve this dish with some crusty bread, creamy polenta or cauliflower rice. Fennel is a great low carb vegetable, 1/2 Cup of sliced raw fennel contains 2g net carbs and is only 14 calories. Source: www.verywellfit.com

Ingredients:

2 chicken marylands or 4 bone-in chicken pieces (1lb - dark meat)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium yellow pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium fennel bulb, sliced (save the fronds for a garnish)
1 teaspoon tomato ‘nduja (or 1 teaspoon tomato paste + 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1 cup canned crushed roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock (or 1 cup chicken stock + 1/2 cup dry white wine)

Method:

1. Season chicken evenly with salt and sweet smoked paprika. Cover and refrigerate minimum 1 hour, preferably overnight. You want the smoked paprika to penetrate the meat so that it’s seasoned all the way through. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes prior to cooking so that it gets closer to room temperature. This will make a difference, your chicken will be more tender.

2. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat, sear chicken for 2-4 minutes per side or until golden brown on both sides. Remove chicken from skillet and place on a plate, tent loosley with foil.

3. Reduce heat to medium, add onion, garlic, peppers and fennel. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until fennel is soft, add ‘nduja, crushed tomatoes and chicken stock. Simmer for 5 more minutes so that flavors meld, add chicken back to the skillet and roast at 375F for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F. Remove from oven, garnish with fennel fronds and serve. If you crisp up some garlic slices on the side and scatter it over the final dish, it’s even better!

If you’d like to reduce the sauce you could place it back on the stovetop and simmer until desired thickness, the vegetables will continue to break down. Personally I love it as is.