Chicken in Tomato Sauce (Umbria)

Meat

Ingredients

Chicken, about 2 1/2 pounds - 1

Olive oil - 1/2 cup

Butter - 6 tbsps

Garlic, crushed - 2 cloves

Onion, thinly sliced - 1 medium sized

Salt

Dry white wine - 1/2 cup

Sauce:

Ripe tomatoes - 1 pound

Olive oil - 1/4 cup

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Rosemary, finely chopped - 1 sprig

Salt

Chili powder or black pepper - pinch

Cut the chicken into small pieces. Heat the oil and 4 tbsps butter in a two handled shallow pan, and gently fry the pieces of chicken with the garlic and onion until golden brown all over. Sprinkle with salt. When the garlic cloves are browned, discard them. Add the wine and continue cooking slowly, covered until the chicken is tender.

Sauce: Peel and chop the tomatoes and discard the seeds. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and saute the onion and rosemary gently until the onion is golden brown; then add the tomatoes and sprinkle lightly with salt and chili or black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Pour this sauce over the chicken, dot with the remaining butter and continue cooking in a slow oven (325F) for about 20 minutes longer.

If a two handled frying pan is not available, simply transfer the chicken to an oven casserole before adding the sauce.

Serves 4