Baked Chicken with Tomatoes and White Beans

This recipe is not unlike chicken cacciatore, which is a chicken cooked in tomatoes and onions, and is quite good.

A few tips:

• Before careful around the pan when browning the chicken - the bacon fat has a tendency to pop out of the pan and burn you. It is not fun.
  
• Don't skip the rinsing of the beans step - canned beans, while convenient, are usually in some form of a thick sauce-like thing that doesn't always taste good. Worse, this thick sauce stuff can totally alter the character of the dish. You have been warned.
  
• It is best if the chicken pieces are relatively uniform in shape and size. This promotes even cooking.
  
• In my opinion, salted capers taste waaaaaay better than brined capers. They are a bit harder to find, but I do recommend the extra effort.
• This dish could easily be made with a variety of sausages instead of chicken.
  

The following is an adaptation of a Gourmet magazine recipe available here. Enjoy!

1/4 lb bacon slices, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lbs chicken pieces, with skin and bone (e.g., two thighs and two legs)
1/2 teaspoon, plus 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 Tbsp salted capers, rinsed and then soaked in two changes of 1 cup of water for 10 minutes each
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes (or 4-5 medium-to-large fresh tomatoes, skin removed and chopped)
1 15 oz can small white beans, rinsed and drained

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Drain fat into heat-proof dish. Deglaze the plan with 1/4 water, scrapping the bottom, and then drain the deglazing liquid into a heat-safe bowl. Add the reserved fat back into the pan and raise heat to medium-high.

Pat chicken dry and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Brown chicken in the 12-inch skillet, turning over once, about 8 minutes total, then transfer chicken with tongs to paper towels to drain. Drain fat again into heat-safe bowl. Deglaze pan again, using the previous deglazing liquid. Again, reserve the deglazing liquid, and add bacon fat once again back into the pan. Lower heat to medium.

Cook onions in skillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir tomatoes and capers into onions and boil, uncovered, 3 minutes, to concentrate juices slightly. Stir in bacon and beans and bring to a simmer. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in beans and bake, uncovered, until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve immediately with crusty bread.