Here's another
winner from Kate at Our Best Bites! I don't think I've ever had a dud
recipe from there, and this Chicken Cacciatore was extremely good.
Like, serve it to company good. I can definitely see why this recipe is a lifelong favorite of Kate's. It's just perfect- the chicken, bell
pepper, and mushrooms are right at home in the robust, rather spicy, wine tinged, velvety tomato sauce. A keeper for sure!
My version of this is a tiny bit different from the
original. Used more chicken (actually 1 3/4 lb, but I'm freakishly
picky about fat and stuff on meat and lost about 1/4 lb when I was
cutting it off), divied up the pepper a little bit
differently, and the recipe suggested using more mushrooms if you love
them, which we do. The big change, though, is that I did not cook this
in the slow cooker. I was afraid the chicken would get dried out since
the pieces are so small and you brown it on the stove first. The
internet told me that chicken cacciatore is often just simmered over low
heat for an hour, so that's the route I decided to take and it worked
out smashingly.
We had this over spaghetti, but right as the spaghetti
was finishing cooking, my husband came home with a spaghetti squash and I
think the leftovers will be wonderful with it.
Chicken Cacciatore
6 T olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 t dried marjoram
1/4 C flour
1 t salt
3/4 t pepper
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces (I actually used 1 3/4 lbs)
1 bay leaf
Brown
onion in 2 Tbsp of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high
heat. When onion is almost done, add garlic and cook until golden.
Remove skillet from burner and spoon the onion and garlic into a
blender. Add tomato paste, wine, chicken broth, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp
pepper, marjoram, and thyme to blender and blend until completely
smooth.
Place flour, 1 tsp salt, and 3/4 tsp pepper in a gallon
sized Ziploc bag and shake to mix. Add the chicken and shake until it's
evenly coated. Place the remaining 4 Tbsp oil in the skillet and heat
over medium-high. Add chicken and any excess flour and cook, stirring
frequently, until browned (does not need to be cooked through).
Add blended sauce to the chicken in the skillet along
with the bayleaf, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Cover skillet and cook at
a low simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally. The chicken,
mushrooms, and bell pepper should be cooked through and tender.
Serve cacciatore over pasta, spaghetti squash, or steamed broccoli with a bit of parmesan on top.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
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