Nonna’s Braised Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper, and then lightly flour both sides.

Heat oil over medium-high heat in thick-bottomed pot and brown all sides of chicken until golden brown. (Do not overload the pan with chicken; none of the pieces should be touching when browning them.)

Remove browned chicken, turn the heat to high and add all diced vegetables and whole garlic. Cook and occasionally stir (rubbing the spoon against the bottom of the pan trying to free up all of the crunchy caramelized bits.) Cook until diced vegetables begin to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add white wine to vegetables to deglaze pan. After all of the wine evaporates, turn off the heat. Crush the tomatoes in your hands as you add them and their juices to the pan. Add the rosemary and chicken stock. Turn heat back on, cooking for another 3-5 minutes. Next turn off heat and place all the contents of the pot into a roasting casserole dish. Next add chicken to casserole dish, submerging the chicken. The liquid should almost cover the meat. Add more water or stock if needed. Place in oven and cook for 90 to 120 minutes or until falling off the bone. Add a sprinkle of fresh rosemary and serve over polenta.