Red Pot Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

You will love this! It's one of our favorite go-to comfort meals. Hearty enough for a cold Sunday in January but light enough for a Saturday in June. We call it "Red Pot" chicken for no other reason than we originally made it in a red porcelain Dutch oven and the name seemed appropriate. (We made this one in a Calphalon pot).

As you can see from the ingredient list there is a good variety of garden vegetables that all play well together and cook down with the herbs, chicken juices and seasonings to produce a delicious sauce that must be sopped up with good crusty bread. The chicken is moist and tender but develops a wonderful crisp skin and the meat falls off the bone .

Ingredients:

2 - 3 Bone in, skin on, chicken breasts

Soft herb and garlic cheese like Alouette or Rondele 

3 medium zucchini

2 yellow or orange bell peppers

1 lb fresh Roma tomatoes

3 celery stalks - use the top leaves too

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion - roughly chopped

3 Garlic cloves crushed

8 Sun dried tomatoes in olive oil drained and cut in half
11 Kalamata olives pitted and cut in half

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh (which we used)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F

Loosen the skin on each chicken breast without removing it, making a pocket. Push the soft herb garlic cheese under the skin of each breast, spreading it in an even layer.

Cut the zucchini into 1 inch thick rounds
Cut the bell peppers into 1 inch wide strips. 
Quarter the tomatoes lengthwise
Cut the celery stalks on a bias into 2 inch long pieces.

Heat the olive oil in the casserole. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté stirring frequently for about 5 minutes.

Add the zucchini, peppers and celery. Cook for about 5 more minutes.

Stir in the Roma tomatoes, the sun dried tomatoes, olives, oregano and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir it all together.

the chicken breasts on top of the vegetables, drizzle with the rest of the olive oil, season with salt and sprinkle with the paprika.

Bake for 1 hour covered then remove the lid and cook for a half hour more or until the chicken is golden, cooked through and tender.

Serve with ciabatta or other good crusty bread.  ENJOY!