Whole Chicken Braised in Tomato Sauce

There are many ways in which you can cook a whole chicken. Roasting is one of the obvious techniques you could use to cook a whole chicken. You could also braise the whole chicken in a flavorful stock or sauce. A great way to braise a whole chicken is to cook it in tomato sauce. You could easily make your own tomato sauce or you could use your favorite jarred tomato sauce. Either way, this dish is a home run. Serve with pasta, salad, and garlic bread to make a complete meal. If you are making the tomato sauce from scratch you can easily freeze the leftovers for another meal.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onions chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 (28 ounce) cans of whole tomatoes, pureed in a blender or food processor
1/2 cup red wine
3 bay leaves
tablespoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped button mushrooms
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
4 pound whole Chicken
salt
fresh black pepper

Method:
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a large stock pot, heat about 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer in the pan, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally. Next, add the minced garlic, mushrooms,and bay leaves. Cook for another 2 minutes at medium heat. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to medium, add the 1/2 cup of red wine and scrap any of the stuck on bits. Add the pureed tomatoes, teaspoon dried oregano, and a teaspoon of dried basil. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook for an additional 5 minutes at a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

Now that the sauce is down, transfer the sauce to a large roasting pan. With the chicken, make sure to take out the giblets and trim any excess fat. Place the whole chicken breast side down. Cover the chicken with aluminium foil and cook at 325°F for two hours. With 30 minutes left in the cooking, add another teaspoon of dried oregano, teaspoon of dried basil, the fresh parsley, and the fresh mint to the pan. Stir to incorporate the herbs into the sauce. After two hours of cooking, remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for about 15-20 minutes. To serve, you can cut the chicken into eighths, or you can pull the chicken right off the bones.