Chicken, Red Pepper and Olive Cacciatore
This summery Italian one-pot is easy to make and freezes brilliantly, plus, it's gluten free. The recipe is easily halved if you only want to serve 3-4 people.
Ingredients
12 chicken thighs or drumsticks (a mix)
Telegraph Hill Extra Virgin olive oil for frying
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
800g vine tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or 2 x 400g tin tomatoes
2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
2 sprigs rosemary, needles chopped
300ml red wine
120g pitted Telegraph Hill Kalamata olives, drained and halved
Handful of basil leaves
Method
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.
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. Allow to cool to room temperature, then tip into freezer boxes in portions, or freeze the whole baking dish covered in clingflim then foil, if you like.
3. To reheat, allow to thaw overnight in the fridge. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Tip into an ovenproof dish (add another splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much when cooled), and cook for 30-40 minutes until piping hot. Scatter over some basil, and serve with pasta or potatoes.
Cook's notes: Peel the vine tomatoes by pouring a kettleful of boiling water over the tomatoes in a large bowl. Blanch for 15 seconds or until the skins burst. Drain, cool and the skins will peel off easily.
