A Recipe! A Recipe! It all begins with Chicken, see?

Corny titles aside, here's a recipe Mom and I "cooked up" recently. It all started with a batch of gluten-free pancakes that tasted exactly like the made-from-a-mix ones my grandma used to serve when I was little (back when I would spend the night at her house). Anyway, Mom whipped up a flour mixture based on some GF ones she'd seen online and made pancakes out of it one fine Sunday. Anyhoo, I got to thinking that, if we thinned the batter out some, it would make perfect crepe batter--and we could all eat it! I mentioned this to Mom, and next thing we knew, we'd thought up a pseudo-Mediterranean chicken filling, and that same week we made them. They were delicious! Since then we've made the chicken filling again, served in warm tortillas and topped with shredded cheese and sour cream, kinda like fajitas. Mom, who usually isn't a big fan of chicken, really loves this recipe, and now my Aunt B (Mom's sister) wants a copy! Mom suggested I post it on my blog, hence this entry. :-)

~Skillet Chicken, Mediterranean-style~

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup olive oil

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper OR crushed red pepper

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/8 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil

1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and chopped

1 (15 oz) can black olives, coarsely chopped

Heat oil in deep skillet (such as a chicken-fryer) until a piece of the garlic sizzles when dropped into it. Mix in the cayenne or crushed red pepper and add the garlic, tomatoes and some of the oil from the jar they came in. Saute chicken in hot oil and sprinkle with the remaining ingredients. Cook until no longer pink. Then add the green pepper and cook until soft.

Drain off the broth that will result into a heat-proof dish (such as Pyrex) and set aside. Brown chicken, then add the broth back to the skillet. Cook until broth is mostly reduced* and add olives. Cook about five minutes longer, to warm olives.

Serve hot and enjoy!

This delicious filling can be served wrapped in crepes or warm tortillas, over rice or pasta--or even as pizza topping! If the latter, add olives after spreading chicken mixture over pizza crust. Try it with marinated artichoke hearts and feta cheese for a Greek twist.

* If you want to make sauce/gravy, simply thicken broth after returning it to skillet, then add olives and serve.

Bon appetite, Gentle Readers!

God bless,

~"Tom"~