Chipotle Chicken and Bell Pepper Casserole

Yield: 12 servings

The chicken has to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly.

1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo, chiles
    stemmed and seeded, adobo reserved
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
12 whole chicken breasts (skin on or removed) or
    your favorite part of the chicken
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups fat-free chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth
1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed and coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

In a food processor, puree the chipotles and adobo until smooth. Put the chicken breasts on a large rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Coat the legs thoroughly with the puree. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add 4 of the chicken breasts to the skillet, skin side down, and brown over moderate heat, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining oil and chicken breasts. Wipe out the skillet again.

Spray the skillet with cooking spray (olive oil spray) in a large skillet. Add the onion and green pepper and cook over moderately low heat until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, roast the red peppers directly over a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, turning occasionally, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a plate and let stand for 10 minutes. Discard the charred skin, stems and seeds and cut the red peppers into 1/2-inch dice.

Add the chicken stock to the onion and green pepper and simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatillos, tomato, garlic, cayenne and the roasted red peppers and simmer over moderate heat for 10 minutes.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper and pour into 2 large baking dishes. Set the chicken breasts/or favorite parts on top of the sauce, skin side up. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is deeply browned and cooked through. Scatter the scallions and cilantro over the chicken and serve.

Make ahead: The chicken can marinate for up to 2 days. The onion and pepper sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.