Spicy Sicilian Chicken

I am a big fan of whole foods prepared simply and with comfort in mind. I found the recipe for my Spicy Sicilian Chicken on the Martha Stewart site last year. It’s not her recipe; it belongs to Mario Batali, another big-time celebrity chef. I’ve since modified it and end up baking it in the oven to get a little more roasting flavor (and so that I may step away from it for a little bit with less worry). As an aside, every vegetable used was from our CSA at Green Meadows Farm; and the herbs were from my garden.

Ingredients:

• 8-10 organic chicken parts (breasts, legs, thighs), rinsed and patted dry
• 3 tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
• 8-10 small red potatoes, cut into large cubes
• 2 bell pepper, cut into 1/2-wide strips
• 1 medium eggplant, cut into large cubes
• 3 small carrots, cut into 1/2-thick rounds
• 1 super larger heirloom tomato, cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup Sicilian olives, ideally, pitted
• 2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and drained
• 5 dried hot chilies
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken pieces, skin side down, and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a casserole dish.

In the same saute pan, add all the vegetables, olives, capers, garlic, bay leaf and red pepper flakes. Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add wine and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour mixture over chicken in casserole dish. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Cook in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven and stir in mint and parsley. Allow to cool a touch. Drizzle with olive oil.

I set a dinner table with wide bowls and place a nice slab of thick Italian bread in the bowl. I spoon chicken, veggies and broth over the bread. Last night, I served with a great light Italian red wine. I’d end this meal with a plate of cheeses and figs. Last night, all I had were some fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. They did the job well.