Chicken With Green Peas In Tomato Sauce

This chicken recipe with green peas is great for busy days, when I don’t have enough time to prepare dinner and there are a ton of other things around the house to do. It takes just 5 minutes to prepare the veggies and then using just one pot, you have dinner ready in less than an hour.

It’s full of goodness, combining protein from the chicken and nutrients from green peas and carrots. If you have little ones in your family, you could also add a couple of potatoes or other veggies like green beans.

For fasting periods or if you are vegetarian, then you could check my meatless version of this dish, also known as arakas laderos (green peas stew) in Greek.

Why you should try my recipe

• An easy to prepare recipe using just one pot.
• Ready in less than an hour.
• Great for midweek meals.
• You can store it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
• Freezable for up to 3 months.

Ingredients & How-to

To make this quick and easy chicken recipe with green peas, I’m using chicken drumsticks, olive oil, onion, garlic, carrot, tomatoes, green peas, fresh dill, salt and ground pepper. You could also use chicken legs or wings, you just need to adjust the cooking time for different cuts.

For full quantities check the recipe down below. So let’s get started!

01. To start, I’m peeling and dicing the onion, and roughly chop the garlic cloves. As with most stews, I’m using onion and garlic to add flavor. I’m also using one medium carrot that I peel and cut into slices.

02. Now that the prep is done, it’s time to move to the stove. I place a wide pot over medium-high heat. I add some olive oil and the chicken drumsticks. I brown the chicken on all sides by turning it around with a pair of tongs. Then, I take it out and leave it aside for later. You could chicken drumsticks or chicken legs or a mix of both if you like. You just have to adjust the cooking time if you are using bigger pieces. As a reference, the internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165°F (74°C).

03. If the olive oil is gone, you could add a little bit more. Then, I add the onion, garlic and carrots to the pot. I gently stir with a spatula and saute the veggies for 2-3 minutes. This will bring out the sweetness of the veggies and add more flavor to the chicken and peas stew.

04. Next, I add the tomatoes and season the stew with salt and pepper. You can use crushed tomatoes, passata, or a few fresh tomatoes blended—whatever you prefer or have on hand. After that, I return the chicken drumsticks to the pot along with a cup of water and turn the heat down to medium-low. We’ll cook the chicken first for about 25-30 minutes, until it’s fully cooked through, then add the peas.

05. When the chicken is cooked, I add the green peas and chopped fresh dill. I’m using frozen green peas that I always have in my freezer but you could also use fresh ones. If you are not a big fan of dill, then you could replace it with some fresh parsley or just leave it out.

06. We are going to cook the peas for 15-20 minutes, until they are tender and the tomato sauce is thicker. Stir the stew every now and then to make sure that there is enough water and doesn’t stick at the bottom.

Substitutions

• You could use fresh parsley instead of fresh dill.
• You could use chicken legs or wings instead of drumsticks.
• Instead of canned tomatoes, you could use 2 medium fresh tomatoes blended.
• For more flavor and aroma, you could add a bay leaf or some allspice kernels to the tomato sauce.

Serving suggestions

We usually have this one-pan chicken with green peas as a main course with some feta cheese on the side and a slice of bread to soak on the tomato sauce.

Storage

If you have any leftovers of the chicken with peas then you should store it in the fridge and consume it within the next 2-3 days. The stew is also freezable for up to 3 months. Make sure you thaw it in the fridge overnight and warm it up thoroughly before serving.

FAQ

• How do I know if the chicken is cooked through? The best way to know if the chicken is cooked through is to use an oven thermometer. The minimum internal temperature for a chicken should be 165°F (74°C).

• Can I freeze chicken with green peas? Yes, you could put the chicken with green peas in the freezer in a suitable container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up thoroughly before serving.