This is a great tomato-y dish. I love braised chicken, especially when you throw some tomatoes and peppers in there. What I liked about this one is that I was able to reuse the Weeknight Red Sauce from the Veal Parm post to finish this dish. I used fresh tomatoes in this as well, but the red sauce was already done and dialed, so it didn't require much more work to integrate it into the dish. It was seasoned and ready to go. 

The Process

Ingredients

• One whole chicken, plus two thighs
• Chicken Brine (optional)
• One yellow onion
• 2 large red bell peppers
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 3 plum or heirloom tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 + cup of water. More or less as needed.
• 4 cups Weeknight Red Sauce
• 2/3 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc)
• 3 tbsp Capers
• Fresh Basil, torn
• Canola oil
• Kosher salt
• Onion Powder
• Fresh black pepper
• Extra Virgin Oil

Cookware

• 8qt Rondeau 

Prep

Onions: dice

Tomatoes: dice

Bell Pepper: cut into strips

Garlic: mince

Chicken: Break down chicken into 10 pieces. Brine it if you can ahead of time. 3% for 5 hours once it's broken down. Save the back and carcass for making stock.

Cooking Instructions

• Heat canola oil in the rondeau over medium high heat
• Season the chicken liberally with kosher salt
• Once hot, lay the chicken skin side down in the pan and sauté until golden brown. We're cooking for color here, so it's better if the chicken is still raw in the middle when it has achieved it's color. 
• Flip the chicken and sear the other side. Do NOT try to cook the chicken through. Just cook for color until the outside is golden brown. It's better to have a raw center than a golden brown skin if you have to choose between the two. Cooking for color.
• Transfer to rack and set aside.
• You may want to drain some of the oil and rendered chicken fat in the pan. You'd want the same amount that you'd use if you were going to saute the onions and peppers before cooking the chicken.
• Lower the heat on the pan to medium
• Add the bell pepper to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the onions, garlic and a pinch of salt. Saute until translucent. 4-5 minutes. 
• Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
• Add the capers and a little of their juice, stir to combine and cook for 1 minute.
• Add the wine, turn the heat to medium high and reduce by 2/3, stirring occasionally. 4-6 mins.
• Add the chicken stock and a pinch of salt, stir to combine
• Bring to a hard simmer / boil. Cook for 1 minute. 
• Add the Weeknight Tomato Sauce, stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, then add the water at this time. Add a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. 
• Lower the heat to medium-low
• Add the chicken to the pot. Hopefully the chicken is still raw in the middle. If some pieces are cooked more than other, then start with putting the raw ones in first, and then add the ones that are more cooked later on. Dark meat cooks slower, so you can start with that.
• Add the chicken to the pot. Spoon some of that sauce over top so it has a nice coating.
• Put the lid on the pot and cook on low for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Don't worry about the sauce here, we're just finishing the chicken.
• Once your chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a rack or bowl. 
• We're going to reduce the sauce now to intensify the flavor. Turn the heat up to medium-high and reduce the sauce by 1/3. You may or may not need to do this, depending on the sauce's consistency, so you'll have to make that call here.
• Adjust your seasonings
• Remove from heat.
• Add the basil by tearing little pieces off and stirring it into the sauce.
• Add the chicken back to the pot and ladle the sauce so it's all coated. 

Plating

• Spoon the sauce into the center of the plate
• Add your chicken on top
• Add more torn basil to garnish
• Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the chicken
• Add some fresh cracked pepper over the chicken

The Finished Dish