Nell Carter's Knockout

This chicken dish piles on the vegetables without apology. A full pound of mushrooms, four tomatoes, two kinds of onion, scallions, and garlic all get chopped and sauteed, then poured over chicken pieces that have been cooking separately in a shallow pan.

The chicken cooks uncovered first to brown the skin and build flavor, then gets smothered under that mountain of sauteed vegetables. Covered for 20 minutes, the chicken steams in all those vegetable juices and absorbs their flavors. A generous blanket of Parmesan in the final 10 minutes melts into a salty, nutty crust over everything.

The “season from the top” direction is a smart touch. It means the seasoning sits on the surface of the vegetables where it blooms in the heat instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan.

Pro Tips

• Brown the chicken well before adding the vegetable topping. That initial uncovered cook builds a crust that holds up under all the moisture.
• Chop the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly during the saute.
• Don’t be shy with the Parmesan. The recipe says “a lot if you like” and that’s good advice. It adds body to the sauce.
• Use both red and yellow onion as written. They bring different sweetness levels that make the dish more complex.

Variations

• Add a splash of white wine to the sauteed vegetables for extra depth.
• Use chicken thighs exclusively for darker, more flavorful meat that stays moist under the topping.
• Serve over pasta or rice to soak up all the pan juices.