Beer-Braised Chicken with Orange Tomato Sauce

This is a recipe inspired by my garden.  In the late summer, I often have an excess of tomatoes.  I created this recipe to make use of them, and it turned out better than I imagined.  All the flavors compete with each other to make a beautiful late summer meal with a Spanish influence.

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces
1/2 onion
10 oz. GF beer
1-2 lbs tomatoes
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp pepper
salt to taste
1/2 Valencia orange, cut in wedges
fresh basil to taste
pitted black olives and juice

Recipe:

In a dutch oven or large non-aluminum pot, brown the chicken pieces on each side in olive oil.  Remove the chicken and set aside.  Brown the onions and remove them.  Add the beer to the pot and scrape up the brownings with a wooden spoon.  Reduce the beer to the desired thickness for the sauce.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Add the tomatoes, orange, salt, pepper, basil, olives with juice and cumin to the beer sauce.  Stir until everything is warm and well combined.

Add the chicken back to the pot and spoon the sauce over.  Bake for 35 minutes or until done.  Serve with rice or other side.  Garnish with a basil sprig and enjoy!