Roast Chicken Cacciatore

Notes: Instead of braising the ingredients for chicken cacciatore, we roast them here to intensify their natural sweetness. Serve the meat and vegetables with hot cooked polenta.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1  chicken (6 to 8 lb.)
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh basil leaves
• 14  cloves garlic, peeled
• 6  rosemary sprigs, rinsed
• About 1 teaspoon salt
• About 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2  red bell peppers (about 1 1/2 lb. total)
• 2  yellow bell peppers (about 1 1/2 lb. total)
• 2  onions (about 1 lb. total)
• 8  Roma tomatoes (about 2 lb. total)
• 2  tablespoons  olive oil
• 1/3  cup  salt-cured black or calamata olives
• 1/4  cup  balsamic vinegar
• 1/2  cup  dry red wine
• 1  cup  fat-skimmed chicken broth

Preparation

1. Remove giblets from chicken and reserve for other uses. Pull off and discard lumps of fat. Rinse bird well inside and out; pat dry. If desired, fold wing tips under first joint. Set bird breast up on a V-shaped rack in an 11- by 17-inch pan.

2. In a small bowl, mix chopped rosemary and basil. Starting at the neck, gently ease your fingers under skin to loosen it over breast. Push 1/3 of the rosemary-basil mixture under skin and spread evenly over breast. Place 6 garlic cloves and 3 rosemary sprigs in body cavity. Sprinkle chicken lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Rinse, stem, and seed red and yellow bell peppers; cut into 1/3-inch-wide strips. Peel onions and cut each into 6 wedges. Rinse and core tomatoes; cut in half lengthwise. Distribute peppers, onions, and remaining garlic around chicken in pan; spread level. Set tomatoes, cut side up, on pepper mixture and sprinkle vegetables with another 1/3 of the herb mixture, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; drizzle with olive oil.

4. Roast in a 425° regular or convection oven until vegetables begin to brown and a thermometer inserted through thickest part of breast to bone reaches 170°, or 180° through thickest part of thigh at joint, 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 hours.

5. Insert a carving fork into chicken cavity, piercing carcass. Lift bird and tilt to drain juices into pan. Set chicken on a rimmed platter; let rest in a warm place about 15 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a shallow bowl; sprinkle with olives and keep warm.

6. Skim and discard fat from pan; add vinegar, wine, broth, and remaining herb mixture. Stir often over high heat, scraping browned bits free, until reduced to 3/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a small pitcher or bowl.

7. Garnish platter with remaining rosemary sprigs. Carve chicken and serve with vegetables. Add pan juices and salt and pepper to taste.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

537 (49% from fat)

Protein:

46g

Fat:

29g (sat 7.3)

Carbohydrate:

22g

Fiber:

4.9g

Sodium:

546mg

Cholesterol:

134mg