Chicken with Potatoes and Olives

The combination of bell peppers with olives is characteristic of the cooking from Syracuse, and the salty capers and point of vinegar makes this a simultaneously light and vibrant dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings | Prep time: 20 minutes | Minimum cook time: 31/4 hours in a medium slow cooker

1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces, or 6 chicken pieces of your choice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and thinly sliced

1 orange bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and thinly sliced

1 pound redskin potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch cubes

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

11/2 cups Chicken Stock or purchased stock

1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1/2 cup sliced brine-cured green olives, preferably Sicilian

2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven broiler, and line a broiler pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Broil chicken pieces for 3 minutes per side, or until browned. Transfer chicken pieces to the slow cooker, skin side down.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, red bell pepper, and orange bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Scrape mixture into the slow cooker.

3. Add potatoes, tomatoes, stock, thyme, olives, capers, and vinegar to the slow cooker, and stir well. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours, or until chicken is cooked through, tender, and no longer pink. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

Note: The dish can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it, covered, in a 350°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot.

Variation:

images Substitute cubes of pork loin for the chicken, and the cooking time will remain the same.

In the seventeenth century, King Henry IV of France’s Prime Minister Sully used “a chicken in every pot” as a metaphor for the prosperity he wished for his citizens. In the 1600s, chickens were associated with luxury rather than with fast food, and they were eaten only on holidays.