Chicken, red pepper and olive cacciatore

A Mediterranean Winters dish full of flavor.
Bon appetite!

Ingredients

12 (a mix) chicken thighs or drumsticks
olive oil for frying
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
800 g vine tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 2 x 400 g tin tomatoes
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, needles chopped
300 ml red wine
120 g jar pitted black olives, drained and halved
basil a handful of leaves

Method

STEP 1

Season the chicken pieces all over. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large shallow casserole or frying pan and fry the chicken on both sides until the skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Transfer from the pan onto a plate. Drain most of the fat from the pan, add the onions and garlic, and fry for 8 minutes on a low heat until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, peppers, and rosemary and simmer for another 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down. Add the wine and simmer for 20-30 minutes until it thickens and becomes a rich sauce. Add a splash of water if it becomes too thick. Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

STEP 2

Stir the olives through the sauce, then nestle the chicken back into the pan. If the pieces don’t fit in one layer, transfer the sauce and chicken to a baking dish. Cook in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through and the meat pulls away from the bone easily.

STEP 3

Serves well with wine