Chicken Cacciatore

By junerodgers

Ingredients

• 1 (3-1/2 to 4 lb) chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 28 oz can whole tomatoes in juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Accompaniment: cooked white rice or noodles

Preparation

Step 1

Pat chicken dry and sprinkle on all sides with 1 1/4 tsp salt and pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12" heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown chicken in 2 batches, turning over once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Reduce heat to moderate and add onion, bell papper and garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any brown bits, until onion and garlic are golden, 8-10 minutes.

Add wine and simmer, scraping up brown bits, until liquid is reduced by half, 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and simmer, breaking up tomatoes with a wooden spoon, 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and nestle chicken pieces in sauce.

Simmer, loosely covered with foil, until chicken is cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 tsp salt. For a thicker sauce, transfer cooked chicken to a platter and keep warm, covered, then boil sauce until it reaches desired consistency.