1. Brown chicken in hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place in baking dish.
2. Drain excess fat from skillet. Add everything else except the celery and bay leaf. Heat, scraping up bits. Pour over chicken.
3. Tuck in celery among chicken. Tuck in the bay leaf in the middle of the dish.
4. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour, 15 minutes.
5. Remove bay leaf and celery before serving.