Felix Culpa: Accidental Chicken

We had friends to dinner last night, my dad is visiting from California and the boys are on spring break. Fresh bread was on the menu. The Boy and my dad have been experimenting with sourdough bread (my dad brought some starter with a 250 year old pedigree along with him). The Boy suggested Accidental Chicken (recipe here) for the main course, easy to prep ahead of time and great over rice or with some of the terrific sourdough that was coming out of the oven.

With eight people for dinner, including two growing teens, I quintupled the recipe, then doubled it again, as my guys really like the sauce. The sauce has a tendency to foam, so even in my 6 quart Dutch oven, the sauce rapidly boiled over. I turned it down to low simmer just as the guests knocked at the door. Distracted, I failed to set the timer for 15 minutes. We chatted in the kitchen, then retreated to the sun room.

All the while the accidental chicken was accidentally simmering away. Forty minutes later.....I returned to the kitchen, realized I'd left the heat under the pot and held my breath as I lifted the lid, visions of ordering in Chinese food dancing before my eyes. It was amazing, fork tender in a rich sauce. We enjoyed it over rice, sopping up the extra sauce with the bread. Next time I'll let it simmer on purpose and serve it as hot sandwiches on home baked rolls. With coleslaw?

UPDATE: H/T to Cindy for Felix culpa - O happy fault