Pour 6 cups of COLD water into a large bowl and stir in a good 1/4 cup of kosher salt.  Add all of the chicken pieces and brine for a quick 15 minutes.  In a large Ziploc bag, mix 1 1/2 cups of flour with the pepper and once brining is complete, pat dry each chicken piece and toss it in the bag.  Shake until coated and remove to a large plate or baking sheet – you’ll likely have to coat the pieces in batches.

Brining isn’t necessary but it’s a really easy way to both season and tenderize the chicken – I promise all will turn out juicy and flavorful!

Heat a couple tablespoons of both the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken pieces in batches for a couple of minutes each side until the pink has just disappeared – it will cook more in the sauce.  Remove to a waiting clean plate or baking sheet as you work in batches, adding more butter and oil as needed to cook and brown all of the chicken.  Once you’ve accomplished this step, the chicken can actually all be left to cool, then wrapped well and refrigerated for a day or 2 before you finish the dish and serve – this is a great meal to serve to a crowd if you’re able to negotiate the cooking and storage of all ingredients!

For the sauce – if you’re cooking this all straight away, don’t bother to clean the pan.  Depending on the amount you’re making a Dutch oven might be a good choice to start off with – I have an extra large, very deep non-stick skillet that I use for dishes like this – and I made extra sauce (this recipe) and used a portion for a vegetarian version with pan-fried halloumi and chick peas.  Most of my measurements are approximate, use your best guess for how much you’ll need – the leftovers are awesome, I’ve frozen portions before (on noodles) and it’s come out beautifully, and honestly, the sauce is everything.

Heat a good splash of oil over medium-high heat and quickly sauté the garlic for a minutes before scraping in all of the tomato paste and stirring until the whole mix darkens up a titch.  Sprinkle in the oregano and red pepper flakes (if using) and then while stirring, slowly pour in the broth (I used the whole litre).  Stir until this all comes to boil and then simmer for a few minutes until it reduces a little bit – the flour on the chicken will also help to thicken the sauce.

With the sauce at a gentle simmer, add in the cream (I used a whole cup) and stir in the Parmesan (I used almost a cup), and the sundried tomatoes and continue to stir until heated through.  Add in all of the chicken – if it’s been in the fridge, give it a good 20 minutes…you want it all to come to a simmer again AND cook for 5 to 10 minutes.  If the chicken has just been cooked then bringing it to temperature and making sure it’s hot and cooked through will take only about 5 minutes.  Serve as you wish with some basil for garnish and make sure to be liberal with the sauce!