Piedmont Chicken Stew

I first tasted this dish near Turin, Italy years ago and spent a lot of time trying to duplicate it. This is the result of my effort. I let the leftovers cool, then place each thigh in a small zip lock bag. Then I divide the sauce between the bags, place the bags on a baking sheet and freeze.When frozen they go into a labeled, dated gallon ziplock to keep them from getting lost in the freezer. When thawed and reheated the sauce tends to separate, just remove the thigh and wisk the sauce to remix. Place the reheated chicken on a fresh serving of rice or couscous and top with the heated sauce.

• Ready In: 1 hr 55 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1  teaspoon tarragon, freshly ground
• 1  teaspoon thyme, freshly ground
• 1  teaspoon oregano, freshly ground
• 3  lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, defatted
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2  medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 2  stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1  red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
• 2  cups tomato sauce (my Crock Pot Italian Tomato Sauce)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans Italian tomatoes, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup dry sherry (NOT COOKING SHERRY)
• 1  cup  chicken stock (home made is best)
• 1⁄2-1  teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Mix the first 5 herbs and spices in a large plastic bag.
3. Wash chicken and pat dry.
4. Place chicken, one piece at a time, in the spices, close the bag, shake to thoroughly coat. set aside.
5. Heat a dutch oven over a medium high burner. Add oil.
6. Add onions, celery, and bell pepper. Saute (stir fry) 'til onions are translucent. remove, set aside.
7. Brown chicken. Return vegetables to the pot.
8. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, sherry, chicken stock, and red pepper flakes. Mix well.
9. Bake, covered, 60 minutes. Uncover, bake another 30 minutes or more to reduce the sauce.
10. Stir occasionally to keep the thighs from raising to the top and drying out.
11. Serve over basmati or jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock with 1 or 2 cardomon pods or couscous cooked with lemon zest.
12. Freeze leftovers without the rice or couscous. Rice freezes nicely but couscous becomes soggy when thawed.