Pollo Italienne - my go-to chicken dish

Pollo Italienne

(serves 4)

 This has become my "go to" chicken recipe. It's about the easiest chicken dish you can cook and is always a crowd-pleaser. It will also work brilliantly as a potjie*.
 It's an "okes" dish where, after the initial prep, you can let it cook without worrying or faffing and have a few toots at the same time.
 This recipe originates with Australian Masterchef judge and writer, Matt Preston, who calls it "Chicken Italienne". I call it "Pollo Italienne", mostly because I figure it sounds more exotic and impressive.
 I've tweaked it slightly, in as much as, I cook it in a flat-bottomed, cast-iron, pot on the (gas) stove-top rather than in the oven, as per Matt's recipe.

Ingredients:

1.5 kg chicken pieces. Thighs and drumsticks work best
2 large onions
2 teaspoons of garlic paste
1 tablespoon of dried parsley. Use fresh if you prefer
1 can of tomato soup
Currie powder, salt, pepper and spices to taste.

Method:

Brown chicken pieces and onions in a pan. (In my case the cast-iron pot)

Add spices and seasoning.
When the chicken is browned and the onions caramelized, add the tin of tomato soup.

Add 1/2 to 1 cup of sherry or wine, if you want.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180C for approximately 75 minutes. If cooking on the stove-top in a cast-iron pot, place the lid on the pot and simmer on a low heat for approximately 75 minutes.

Serve on a bed of pasta of your choice.

Notes:

In this particular case, I served the chicken with couscous, rather than pasta as I knew one of the guests does not enjoy pasta.

 *For non-South African readers, a potjie is a process of cooking a one-pot dish over a fire. Cooking is done in a pot-bellied, three-legged, cast-iron pot. It is steeped in tradition and, for many, almost a religious experience.