Chicken cacciatore with fire-roasted tomatoes,  peppers, sautéed mushrooms, pearl onions and Spanish olives, served on a bed of orzo pasta and accompanied by a dark Malbec.

 Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1 cup orzo pasta (rinsed)

1/2 cup flour for dredging

3-4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (can substitute boneless, skin-on chicken). thigh or chicken breast)

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced ​​peppers (I used red)

1/2 cup thinly sliced ​​onions

1 cup sliced ​​mushrooms

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup deseeded and halved kalamata or olives of your choice

1 cup pearl onions, frozen

1/2 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups chicken/low-sodium stock

15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained

8-ounce can tomato sauce (I used a homemade sauce)

2 Tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons capers (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Sprigs of fresh thyme to decorate

 Instructions:

Put the oven on Preheat 180°C,

In a large, deep pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olives over medium-high heat. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper and coat lightly  in flour.

Place the chicken, skin side down, in the pan and fry for 5-6 minutes or until nicely browned.

Turn the chicken and fry on the other side for 5-6 minutes until brown.Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate.

Add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil to the pan along with the onions, peppers and mushrooms.

Fry for 7-9 minutes  until the vegetables soften and begin to brown. Add  garlic and olives and cook for 30 seconds. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until wine is reduced by half.

Add orzo and stir to scrape out remaining chicken. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.

Add  broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, capers (if using), pearl onions, and salt and pepper to taste.Stir until everything is well mixed.

Place the chicken back in the pan on top of the tomato and vegetable mixture. Pour some of the tomato mixture over the chicken.

Cover the mold and place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.Remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with fresh thyme, then serve