0
4 bone-in chicken breasts, or legs with thighs attached
2 onions
2 celery stalks
2 medium tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 cup sultana or dark raisins
1/2 cup pitted and halved kalamata olives
700- or 750-mL jar flavourful tomato sauce
4 large baking potatoes
Preheat oven to 500F (250C). Discard skin from chicken and trim off fat. Arrange in a 9x13-inch (3-L) baking dish. Coarsely chop onions. Chop celery, with any leaves, into 1/2-inch (1-cm) pieces. Slice each tomato into 8 wedges. Core and seed pepper. Coarsely chop. Tuck veggies around chicken, filling in any gaps.
Sprinkle cumin, raisins and olives over chicken, then pour pasta sauce overtop. The dish will be very full. Spread sauce over chicken. Don't worry if it doesn't cover vegetables completely--the sauce will spread out as it cooks. Loosely cover dish with foil, then place on a baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 450F (230C). Bake in centre of oven. If using potatoes, prick in several places with a fork and bake on lower rack of oven. Check if potatoes are fork-tender after 45 minutes.
After chicken has baked 30 minutes, remove foil. Carefully tilt dish and spoon juices from side overtop of chicken and vegetables. Continue baking, uncovered, until chicken is springy when pressed and sauce is bubbly, from 25 to 30 more minutes. Remove chicken and vegetables from oven.
To serve, spoon about 1/4 cup (50 mL) sauce over each breast or leg. Top potato with a dollop of sour cream and snipped chives, if you wish. Pour remaining sauce into a large freezer bag, seal and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months. Use leftover sauce as a base for a tuna pasta toss.
Calories 194, Protein 31.3g, Carbohydrates 7.1g, Fat 3.9g, Fibre 1.2g, Sodium 299mg.
A subtle hint of cumin blends well with sweet raisins and rich fruity olives in this saucy chicken bake. The following night, canned tuna turns the leftovers into a fabulous pasta toss.
If there is leftover chicken, remove chicken from bone and serve in a large bun. Or heat chicken in a little sauce and serve in a bun. Heat leftover sauce in a saucepan. Crumble in tuna and cook, stirring often, until hot. Serve over cooked spaghetti with freshly grated Parmesan.