Recipe: Tomato and Black Olive Chicken

I made this tonight to warm me up as I believe both me and the weather have conveniently agreed that it is pretty much Winter now (ok... I know it's autumn really but I reckon we're just going to have a really cold time from now until march!). Nick however disagrees, and says it's not cold enough to start using the portable heaters around the house yet (our house doesn't have central heating or double glazing)!!. "Think about the heating bills" he says. It's so funny, my student friends were saying that because they are so skint (and also because they'd rather spend their money on alchohol) they are officially not turning on their heating until December, meanwhile they're all sleeping in jumpers and sleeping bags AS WELL as their duvet, haha! This was really nice served with this couscous dish I made on the side too- it's simply cous cous mixed with kidney beans, feta and sundried tomatoes.

Tomato and Black Olive Chicken (serves 2)

2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced
Knob of butter
1 large red onion, sliced thinly
Pinch sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
200ml chicken stock
1 tin tomatoes
100g black olives, halved (and pitted!)
Handful fresh basil, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

1. In a large deep frying pan, sauté the chicken in 1tbsp of the oil, with some salt and pepper, for a couple of minutes each side, or until golden brown. Remove and set aside.
2. To the same pan, add the rest of the oil, butter and red onion, and cook on a high heat for a further 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the reserved chicken and all other ingredients (except fresh basil) and cook for 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chopped fresh basil, stir in well, season to taste and serve- with some extra basil leaves on top for presentation.