Chicken Cacciatore - the easy way

A favourite recipe with most cooking enthusiasts, this is a one pot meal that is delicious for every day eating or to share with good friends. The secret to good Italian cooking is using a good base such as onion, garlic and celery. Then adding flavour and moisture with tomatoes, red wine and chillies. Enjoy this on a chilly evening with my favourite comfort food lemon pudding for dessert (see my blog for the recipe).

8 chicken pieces
1 lemon halved
3T olive oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 red onion finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary or 3 sprigs thyme
50g bacon bits
250g button mushrooms
50ml red wine
2 410g tins of chopped tomatoes (buy the whole one and chop them yourself as they have more flavour)
3T dry oregano
8 new potatoes cut into quarters
1 red chilli seeded and finely chopped
1 bay leaf

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Rub the chicken pieces with the lemon halves and season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil and saute the garlic, onion, celery and fresh herbs. Add the bacon and mushrooms and cook until soft. Place in a casserole dish.
Brown the chicken pieces in the same pan.
Place the chicken pieces, tomatoes, red wine, oregano, potatoes, chilli and bay leaf into the casserole dish. Bake covered for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Banting: omit the potatoes and serve with vegetables of your choice.