Baked Chicken

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 4 lbs chicken, cut up
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, clarified
• 2 cups onions, thinly sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups dry vermouth
• 2 (28 ounce) cans tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups tomato juice, from canned tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seed, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 12 g orzo pasta

Recipe

• 1 oil a 13 x 9 inch casserole.
• 2 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 3 heat large frypan, add butter and oil.
• 4 when oils "swim" turn heat down to low. add onions.
• 5 cover and let sweat for around 40 minutes, or until soft. remove cover.
• 6 turn heat up to medium-high, add garlic and stir until aromas start to meld. (this sounds weird, but it is how it happens. just don't overcook the garlic.)reduce heat so remaining oil doesn't burn.
• 7 remove onions and garlic to a strainer, keeping drained oils.
• 8 return oils to pan, increase heat to med-high and brown chicken pieces for about 5 minutes a side.
• 9 when chicken is browned, place in the casserole.
• 10 keeping heat up, pour all the vermouth into the pan, stir to get all the crispys off. reduce heat and slow-boil until the vermouth has reduced by about half and lost its bite.
• 11 add juice from the tomatoes, the herbs and the bay leaves.
• 12 keep everything at a slow boil for about 10 minutes, watching it so it doesn't burn, then add the tomatoes.
• 13 distribute onions and garlic from strainer on the chicken while the tomatoes are cooking.
• 14 start 4 quarts water boiling in a large pot.
• 15 the tomato mixture needs to cook for about an hour (on my lame stove) and when it is reduced to a moderate liquid, pour it on the chicken in the casserole. place the casserole in the oven, uncovered.
• 16 by this time the water should be boiling, add all the orzo. cook for 10 minutes.
• 17 drain pasta, add peas. set aside.
• 18 after the chicken has been in the oven for about 1 hour and the chicken is getting tender, add the orzo and peas. carefully pull up the sauce from the pan to cover and fold the orzo/peas into the sauce.
• 19 bake for another 30 minutes, remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes.