You can sub out the chicken with other meats (lamb, pork, beef) or veggies (large hunks of cauliflower or string beans).

Braised Chicken and Olives

INGREDIENTS

• 2 celery stalks
• 2 red onions
• 4 carrots
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp EVOO
• rosemary sprig
• sage sprig
• 1 1/2 cup of olives
• 1 pack of chicken legs (skin on and bone-in, 5 pieces)
• 1 pack of chicken thighs (skin on and bone-in, 4 pieces)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop onion, carrot, celery, and garlic
2. Add to a food processor with any fresh herbs (I’m a rosemary and sage guy) you like and mince.
3. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper
4. Add about 4 tbsps of olive oil to a 12-inch skillet
5. Brown chicken on all sides on medium/high heat. Set aside.
6. Use the same pan to cook the sofrito. This is gold.
7. Cook the veggies over medium heat for 5 minutes, stir in tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add browned chicken back into the pan with 1/2 quart of chicken or hearth brodo and stir.
9. Set on low/medium heat and cook with a lid covering half of the pan.
10. Over the course of the next hour continue to add a 1/2 cup of brodo at a time, every 15 minutes or so. Each time stir and spoon the broth and sofrito over the chicken.
11. At the one hour mark stir in some olives and continue cooking for 20-30 minutes.