Hi!  I'm Noreen, wife, mother of two amazing, almost grown, daughters, content creator, cook, baker and sister in Christ. Welcome to my Kitchen!   I hope you stick around, enjoy the recipes and share them with those you love!

Noreen's Kitchen

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Cooked rice for serving

This recipe was in the book we are currently listening to.  Harry prepares it for his girlfriend Eleanor with ingredients he had on hand and some he grabbed from the grocery store.  It is so simple and so delicious I knew I had to share my own version.  I sat and wrote down how the author describe Harry making this dish.  I have made some alterations and taken some creative license but in the end this is just plain delicious.

A simple sauce is made with sauteed onion, garlic and bell pepper.  Fresh mushrooms would be a great addition here.  I would add 8 ounces sliced.  As an afterthought I tossed in a large can of sliced mushrooms from the pantry and it was amazing.  I used one large can of crushed tomatoes and one large can of diced tomatoes but if you only had your favorite jar of pasta sauce, that would work as well!

When the sauce is built, add in your raw chicken breasts that you have both filleted and cut in half so that they will cook faster.  You will then want to simmer these for a good 30 to 45 minutes or until they become fall apart tender and are easily shredded.

Removed the chicken from the sauce and shred.  Then add it back in and give everything a good stir.  While the chicken is simmering, make yourself some rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa or couscous to serve this on top of.  In the story, Harry added a couple handfuls of frozen peas to the dish.  Since we don't all enjoy peas, we added a bag of frozen cut green beans.  It was perfect and delicious.  If you don't want your veggies added to the sauce, leave them out and serve them on the side.  No worries!

1 Cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

I used a combo of spices that I would normally use for a dish of this nature.  I did however get a little heavy handed with the red pepper flakes.  It was wonderful nonetheless, but I have adjusted the measurement for the printable recipe so you don't end up with uncomfortable fire mouth.  You, of course, can omit the spice if desired.

In the end Harry provided us with great inspiration for a great meal.  This made enough to serve four of us twice.  So if needed you can adjust the recipe up or down.  I felt there was a great ration of sauce to chicken here and with the meat being shredded it ensured that everyone got some chicken in every bite.

I hope you are inspired by this recipe and I hope that you give it a try!  You could easily make this like I did on the stove top or you could make it in the pressure cooker, slow cooker or oven!  Just adapt and it will be great!

I hope you give this a try some time soon and I hope you love it!  

Happy Eating!

Join Audible and get a 30 day free trial plus two free audio books!  https://amzn.to/2LVYECp

Today I am doing something a little different.  Hopefully, over time this will become a playlist entitled "Novel Recipes".  A collection of recipes from some of the novels and stories I have read over the years.  I already have a video of Cinnamon chicken that was inspired by one of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  This recipe for Harry's Chicken Special is inspired by and taken from the novel Trunk Music by Michael Connelly.  It is book number five in the Harry Bosch series, of which I have become a huge fan!  This is like a stove top cacciatore.  Simple, delicious and satisfying.  

I love books, but with my busy schedule don't have much time to read and if I sit down to read before bed, I fall asleep fast.  While Rick and I were on our Indiana road trip this past May we enjoyed Audible and started the Bosch series.  We were able to listen to two full novels on our round trip.  We now listen daily while doing our morning chores, while on road trips or while having quiet time.  This video is not sponsored by Audible, but we wanted to share how much we love it!  It is so much fun to listen to a story unfold!

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Harry's Chicken Special

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1-28 ounce can tomato sauce
1-28 ounce can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

½ cup red wine (optional)

Melt butter in a large heavy bottomed skillet, over medium high heat.

Add onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Stir to combine.

Add all herbs and spices to the pan and stir well allowing them to bloom and release their oils.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and red wine.  Stir well to combine

Nestle the chicken in the pan and cover with sauce.  Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to medium.

Allow mixture to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender enough to shred with a fork.

While the chicken is simmering, prepare your desired type of rice.

Remove the chicken from the sauce and shred, then return to the sauce.

Bring the shredded chicken and sauce back to a simmer.  Stir well.  Allow to simmer just a few minutes before removing from the heat. 

Taste for seasoning adding more if needed.

Serve over rice.

This recipe is inspired by the novel Trunk Music.  Number five in the Harry Bosch detective series by Michael Connelly. 

Step By Step Instructions

Noreen's Kitchen
Harry's Chicken Special

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