Every week in my CSA market basket, I end up getting some type of onion – sweet onions, red onions, green onion, cippolini onions, pearl onions – and my favorite, shallots.  In my opinion, shallots are just so delicate in flavor – they make anything taste better.  As I started writing this, I decided to look up shallots in Wikipedia – and this is what I found: 

The shallot is a relative of the onion, and tastes a bit like an onion, but has a sweeter, milder flavor. Shallots are much favored by chefs because of their firm texture and sweet, aromatic, yet pungent, flavor.

I was happy to see I am in good company – that chefs also favor the shallot.  So this week a shallot showed up, and with the peppers I had in the refrigerator already, my dinner was coming together.  I had already decided to get chicken on the way home to make with the peppers and shallots – when I saw this recipe in Cooking Light  – all the stars were aligning.  I was on the shuttle laughing.  This is a work shuttle, and no one talks – in fact, it is silent the majority of the time – the only sound you can hear is the clickity clack of computer keys. So – here I am laughing about food – and no one even looks up, everyone just keeps typing away.  I guess it was only funny to me anyway.

Ingredients

• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 3/4  teaspoon  fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  garlic powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2  cups  thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1  cup  thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2  cup  thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  chopped fresh rosemary
• 1  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

For a printer friendly version of this recipe, click here:  Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers