ingredients
serves 4
4 pieces chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 litre (20 fl oz) passata
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
4 anchovy fillets - optional
6 black olives - optional
method
1. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, preferably with a lid. Add the chicken joints and fry over a medium heat until brown.
2. Add the onion, pepper and garlic all chopped up, the passata and the herbs.
3. Season quite generously, but not too much salt if you are going to use the anchovies and olives as they have quite a lot of salt in them.
4. Stir, put the lid on, cook over a medium to low heat for about 25 minutes until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked through.
5. When the chicken is ready, chop up the anchovies and stir them into the sauce. If using them, dot the olives over the top just before you serve the dish - they need nothing more than a little warming through to add their rather pungent flavour.
Serve surrounded by the noodles, on individual plates
