Country Chicken

The first time I had this, I had just arrived, with my husband and daughter, in Phoenix, Arizona from Missoula, Montana after a harrowing 2 day drive through winter weather & multiple pee stops (I was pregnant at the time). My mother had this waiting for us and it was like heaven - the ultimate in comfort food. I don't know where she got the recipe, but I imagine it was from either Ladies Home Journal or Good Houskeeping, both magazines she subscribed to until the day she died. It's a great one dish dinner and is easily adabtable to any vegies you have in the house (I used red peppers and threw in chunked green tomatoes at the very end last night). The leftovers (if there are any) are great as a chicken pot pie!

Inspiration: a great weekend at the beach & nothing for dinner when we got home
Time: about 1 hour
Difficulty: easy
Special equipment: a large roasting pan
Servings: 6

4 medium potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
1 pound hot Italian Sausage links cut into 1 1/2" pieces (or regular sausage plus 1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 frying chicken, cut into pieces
4 medium green peppers, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large onion, quartered & separated
1/2 cup water (I use chicken broth)
1/2 teaspoon salt (opt)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
1 10oz package frozen whole green beans

Mix the potatoes, sausage & oil in a large roasting pan. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Add chicken and next 5 ingredients. Bake 15 minutes. Thaw beans enough to separate. Add to the pan w/ the mushrooms. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until done, stirring occasionally.