Chicken With Olives - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 skinless chicken pieces
8 -10 small whole onions or 8 -10 small whole shallots
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 green pepper, diced
3 -4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 lb tomatoes, skinned and chopped roughly
1 teaspoon dried basil (or half oregano and half savory)
1 pinch saffron (optional) or 1 pinch turmeric (optional)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine or 3/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
15 -20 pitted black olives, half chopped, half whole
2 -4 anchovy fillets (very finely sliced or chopped) (optional)

Preparation

Brown the chicken pieces quickly with the whole onions in very hot oil in flameproof casserole.
(My cast iron dutch oven works well) Remove the chicken and add the sliced onions, green pepper and garlic to the pan, soften over lowered heat for 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan, add the tomatoes, herbs, saffron or turmeric, tomato paste and wine or stock.
Taste, season and cover.
Cook gently, stove top, until chicken is done, or.
Place dutch oven in preheated oven at 350\u00b0F for about 55 minutes until chicken is done.
Halfway through cooking turn the chicken pieces and stir the pan contents.
The chicken should be lightly sauced, not stewed.
If the sauce is very thin, cook uncovered for the rest of the cooking time.
Add the olives and anchovy fillets, if using, for about the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Check seasoning and serve with rice and a tossed green salad.