Baked Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives and Capers
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 ½ pounds bone-in skin-on chicken pieces, sprinkled with 2 teaspoons kosher salt when you get home from the market unless you are using kosher chicken which you should not salt (read this post on how and why to season your chicken in advance)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Flour for dredging all-purpose, spelt, GF flour, etc. -- use matzoh cake meal for Passover
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed, extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ medium onions cut through the root into sixths or eighths (or sliced thinly, but I like wedges better in this recipe)
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 18- ounce jar diced tomatoes with the juice or drain juice for less sauce (I like Jovial in glass jars. Read this post why.)
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup chicken stock vegetable stock or more white wine
- 6 fresh thyme sprigs or large basil leaves in the summer/fall
- ½ cup pitted olives such as kalamata or Bella di Cerignola
- 2 Tablespoons capers drained
- chopped parsley for garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Pat the chicken dry and season with black pepper. Dredge in flour, shaking off any excess.
- In a 12-inch ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces in one layer and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate and reserve.
- If the pan looks dry, add a little oil. If it looks like there’s more than 2 Tablespoons oil, drain a bit off. Add the onions, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. Add the garlic and sea salt and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, white wine, stock and cook, scraping any brown bits on bottom of the pan.
- Arrange the thyme, olives and capers over the onion mixture. Place the browned chicken pieces side by side on top. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven.
- After 15 minutes, baste the chicken with the juices in the pot. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 30-40 minutes (depending on thickness), basting every 10 minutes if you have time. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (You can also cook covered on the stove over low heat for 30 minutes.)
Notes
For a boneless, skinless version, check out my recipe for Lemon –Thyme Chicken Cutlets and follow the same directions.
For a slow cooker version, use skinless chicken and 3 Tablespoons each of stock and wine instead of 4. Follow same directions, but after deglazing, pour everything into the slow cooker and cook for 4-5 hours on HIGH or 6-8 on LOW.