april festivities

There's a great holiday coming up this month, but that's not the only reason April is special. It's also the month I was born.

Yep, I turned the big 3-1 this year. No fanfare, which makes Patton Oswalt happy, of that I'm sure. I didn't even make myself a cake this year, but I did eat well. I had the most amazing roasted banana cheesecake with macadamia nut crust and coconut whipped cream, but that's a story for a different day.

Speaking of eating well, this flavorful dish, complete with green zucchini and red peppers, makes a magnificent meal. Both the chicken and sausage are spicy and juicy, but neither overtakes the other. It seems that there are a lot of steps in this recipe, but none are difficult or take very long. The resulting medley of ingredients makes all the effort completely worthwhile, trust me.

Depending on how much broth you end up adding, this can be a really saucy dish. You can serve it with rice (not my favorite) or simply use a nice piece of toasted buttermilk bread to sop up all that goodness. Happy birthday to me!

Pig and Poultry Pot
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 pound mild or sweet Italian sausage, in casings
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks or half-moons
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2/3-1 cup chicken broth
• 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (7 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, finely chopped

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts crosswise and into 1/2" pieces; season with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour and set aside.
Place a skillet over high heat; add 2 tablespoons olive oil and, when hot, add zucchini. Saute about 2 minutes; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Take casing off of sausage and cut into bite sized pieces. Add sausage to oil in the skillet and saute over medium heat until fully cooked; remove and set aside.
Add butter and red pepper flakes to skillet. When the fat is hot, add chicken pieces and saute until fully cooked. Add 1/3 cup broth to skillet and bring to a boil; stir and reduce heat for 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic, remaining broth and simmer about 2-3 minutes, partially covered, until the juice reduces.
Add sausage, zucchini and roasted red peppers to the skillet. Toss with the chicken and simmer over low heat 2-3 more minutes. Serve over rice.