EASY CHICKEN DISH

When I was 12 years old, my mom went back to work.  I then became a latch key kid.  School was over at 3:00 and I usually came straight home. But, considering Aunt Bridgie lived in the same building as we did and Auntie Ang was 4 houses away, it really was no big deal.  And I knew every neighbor in the entire building and they all had kids who came home at the same time. And there were not a lot of working moms in those days.  There were plenty of people around to worry about being a latch key kid.  And I dare not get into any trouble on my own for the same reasons.  TOO MANY PEOPLE AROUND TO TELL YOUR MOTHER.

I was a bad eater and drove my mom nuts.  There weren’t a lot of things I would eat, ESPECIALLY LIVER, and to make things easier, I decided to start cooking.  I have to laugh now because I thought my mom would have a problem with that, but I realize now she didn’t.  It was a chore she didn’t have to face when she got home. It was just the two of us then so it wasn’t that difficult for me to cook.  I obviously chose to cook what I liked to eat. Chicken was always, and still is, a favorite.  The very first chicken dish I made was with tomatoes, onions and mushrooms.  I made this at least once a week. This was always served over rice too. I use canned tomatoes and canned mushrooms, making this easier to prepare and less time consuming.  It’s great dish to prepare during the week after work.   I am sharing this recipe with you.

CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES AND ONIONS

4 chicken boneless breasts (4-6 ounces each) legs and thighs can be used also

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 small can sliced mushrooms

½ cup black olives (optional)

1 14.5oz. can whole peeled tomatoes

2 tablespoons oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-teaspoon black pepper (more or to taste)

1-teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

1. Remove any excess fat from chicken and rinse
2. Place chicken in shallow baking dish
3. Add sliced onion and mushrooms and black olives into the baking dish
4. Drain tomatoes of all excess water/juice
5. Hand squeeze tomatoes over chicken
6. Add seasonings and thoroughly mix all the ingredients
7. Bake for 30 minutes
8. If you want, serve over hot spaghetti and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.