Fiesta Chicken Casserole: Date Added: 18 Nov 2009
Listed in: Poultry / Poultry - Chicken

1 1/2 tsp. each of dried leaf oregano, marjoram leaves and dry mustard powder
1/2 each of salt, freshly ground black pepper, ground cumin and cayenne pepper
4 skin-on chicken legs with thighs attached
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
4 Italian or other spicy fresh sausages, about 1 1/2 lbs
4 carrots, peeled
1 large onion
2 peppers, preferable yellow or green
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded
12 garlic cloves (I used 3, but could've used more!)
1 Tbsp olive oil
28 oz can plum tomatoes, including juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or coriander

In a small bowl, stir oregano with marjoram, mustard powder, salt, black pepper, cumin and cayenne. Place chicken in a large bowl. Rub spice mixture evenly over chicken. Refrigerate until needed. Slice sausages into 1/2" rounds. Cut carrots into 1" pieces. Thinly slice onion. Slice yellow or green peppers into 1/2" pieces. Dice jalapenos. Peel garlic and mince. Place vegetables in a large bowl and stir to mix.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a large wide saucepan (I used a cast iron fry pan) set over medium heat. Add sausages and stir often until lightly browned from 6-8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausages and drain on paper towels. Add half of chicken pieces to fat in saucepan. Cook until browned on both sides, from 4-5 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large roasting pan or 2 large casserole dishes. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Discard oil from saucepan. Add carrots, onion, all peppers and garlic to pan. Increase heat to med-high. Stirring constantly, pour in juice from canned tomatoes and scrape up brown bits from bottom of pan. Add tomatoes, breaking them up. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables just start to soften, from 8-10 minutes. Stir in sausages. Pour over chicken in roasting pan.

Cover chicken with foil or a tight-fitting lid. Bake in centre of 400°F oven, basting halfway through with pan juices, until chicken feels springy when pressed and sauce is bubbly, about 1 hour. If making ahead, cool casserole, then cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat in a preheated 350°F oven until chicken is warmed through, stirring every 15 minutes from 30-40 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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