Chicken in Tomato and Chickpeas

As the holidays fast approach, especially the New Year, we know preparations must commence, whether shopping, actual cooking and freezing or simply mentally knowing what we will make to calm the nerves. I particularly like this dish since it’s a one pot dish but looks (and tastes) beautiful and you should try to use an oven to table pot or pan to serve it from. First, it simplifies your life since this is a saucy dish but it also looks lovely when brought to table this way, just no stress about it, if you can’t, no big.

I’ve made versions of this dish many times and tried to simplify and simplify, specifically making it an oven dish you don’t need to stand over but just pop in the oven, time it and walk off to other adventures. Here I use my prepared sauteed onions Basic Sauteed Onions, A Kitchen Staple but since the pot goes from stovetop to oven to table (make sure the pot’s handles can go in the oven!), you can sautee your onion right in the pan if you don’t have any prepared.

So, gather your ingredients and let’s go! (Btw, YES! this freezes well since it’s not roast chicken and is saucy and meant to be super tender).

As you can see, I used chicken thighs and drumsticks which stay juicier. This enables slightly longer cooking which you are doing to get the sauce to thicken and somewhat reduce. K.

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.

Take the chicken and arrange in the pan (make sure it’s oven safe!!) unless you have no sauteed onion. In that case, simply take a small onion, peel and chop and sautee in some olive oil. Then, scoop aside and lay chicken in pan once cool enough to use (the pan, not the chicken 🙂 ).

Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil. Place the onion over the chicken and slice the garlic and toss on top.

Next pour the chopped tomatoes in their juice over that and then pour the canned chickpeas with their liquid over that. Then add the wine (white or red, either is fine) on top of that.

Could this be easier? Done. Cover with a lid or tin foil and pop in the oven.

Cook covered for 1 hour and 20 minutes and remove cover and cook an additional 15 minutes and tops of chicken should brown somewhat. Serve hot with rice on the side Simple Basic White Rice. This also reheats beautifully.

Chicken in Tomato and Chickpeas

8 chicken thighs and 8 drumsticks
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
2-3 tablespoons olive oil to cover chicken
2-3 sliced cloves garlic
1 can (14 ounces/400 grams) chopped tomatoes
1 can (550 grams/19-20 ounces) chickpeas
1 cup (250 ml) white or red wine

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Use an oven to table pan or casserole dish, make sure it’s oven proof (especially the handles).

If you have sauteed onion, skip this step, if not, sautee the chopped onion in olive oil till light brown. Let pan cool and scoop onions aside and lay chicken down, skin side up in pan. Sprinkle olive oil over chicken and then sauteed onion over chicken. Sprinkle sliced garlic over that. Then pour the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas, all with their liquid, (do not drain) and the wine over the chicken. No need to stir. Cover tightly with lid or two layers of tin foil. Place in hot oven and cook for one hour and twenty minutes. Remove cover/foil and continue cooking for fifteen more minutes till top of chicken brown slightly. The liquid reduces somewhat but this is a saucy dish. Serve in pan, hot, with rice on the side. Reheats and freezes beautifully.