4chicken breasts or 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in/skin on
2tspolive oil, divided
1cuponion, diced
3clovesgarlic, sliced
Pinchred pepper flakes
2Tbsptomato paste
1/2cupred or white wine, or you can substitute chicken broth
1cupred, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
1cupcarrot, thinly sliced or diced
28ozcanned crushed tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes hand-crushed
3Tbspfresh parsley, chopped *see Note 1 for substituting dried herbs
2-3Tbspfresh basil, chopped
1Tbspfresh oregano leaves, chopped
1fresh thyme sprig
To finish:
1/2Tbspbutter
Additional chopped fresh parsley, 3-4 Tbsp
1-2tspbalsamic vinegar OR black olives OR capers, to taste
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Instructions
Heat a large skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven on the stove-top over medium heat. Add a tsp of olive oil and add the mushrooms. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring regularly, until browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan add a bit more oil to heat. Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan, skin side down. Cook until the skin is quite golden, then flip over and cook a couple of minutes more. Remove to a plate and set aside.
Spoon off and discard excess fat in the pan (but keep any browned bits!). Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute or so. Add the tomato paste and stir in. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, until it darkens slightly. Add the wine to the pot. Allow to boil 1 1/2-2 minutes, to cook off the alcohol and reduce by about 1/2.
Add the bell pepper, carrot, cooked mushrooms and crushed tomatoes to the pot. Add the herbs and a bit of salt and pepper and stir in well. Return the chicken to the pan, pressing the chicken down into the sauce a bit. COVER pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer about 20 minutes. Remove cover, flip chicken over, return the cover and simmer another 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (Breasts will take longer than thighs to cook).
Remove lid and flip chicken over again, so the skin side is up. Gently stir in the butter and additional fresh parsley. If you like, you can add some black olives or capers at this point and well. Allow to cook another few minutes to warm, then taste the sauce and add additional salt, as needed. (If the sauce tastes flat, it needs salt!) Add a little freshly ground pepper, as well, if you like.
Notes
1. You can replace the fresh herbs with dried by using about 1/3 of the amount specified for fresh (so 1 Tbsp dried parsley,Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 2 days or you can freeze the cooked dish for 2-3 months.Be sure to read the Ingredient and Cook's Notes above this Recipe Card, for more tips on making this recipe. You will also find Step-by-Step photos there, as well, that you might find helpful.