Chicken with Peppers alia Romana

By HeatherS

Use fresh tomatoes in this recipe when they're in season. Blanch them in Boiling water for a few minutes, then peel off their skins and break them up a little. Out of season, canned San Marzano tomatoes are the best. They come
from an area in Naples with fabulous weather and soil for tomatoes. And they're picked and packed really ripe—you can see it right away when you open the can.

Ingredients

• l/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large plump chicken (4 to 5 pounds), cut into 8 serving pieces, thoroughly washed and patted dry with paper towels
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 to 3 ounces thickly sliced prosciutto, diced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, coarsely chopped, with their juices
• 4 large green, red, or yellow bell peppers (preferably a mixture of all colors), washed, seeded, and cut into 1-inch strips

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning the pieces to brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the garlic and the prosciutto, and stir for about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring and moving the chicken pieces around, until the wine is almost all evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and their juices and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pan, and simmer very gently, stirring and basting the chicken from time to time, for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and their skin is somewhat charred, 8 to 10 minutes.

Scoop up the peppers with a large slotted spoon or tongs and add to the chicken. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce has a rich brown color and a medium-thick consistency, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve. (The whole dish can be prepared a few hours ahead. Reheat gently before serving.)