What’s Cooking Wed: Chicken Cacciatore

December 3, 2008 by Melissa 

This is one of my favorite meals to cook in the winter. Since we have been living in the warmer climates for that last few years, I was happy to throw this together last week.

Cacciatore means something like hunter’s stew and I believe in Italy this was made with whatever they brought in. Now, though, it is most often made with chicken. In the recipe I use chicken thighs, because that is what my family prefers, but this can easily be made with chicken breasts, or just a cut up chicken. I would suggest you cook it with the bone in and skin intact, as it makes it taste better, but if you want to save the fat, it is up to you. Just know that it won’t taste as rich.  Also, this versatile. I serve it over egg noodles, but it could be served over other kinds of pasta or rice. I would stick to the veggies pretty close. I hate green peppers on anything, but they don’t bother me in this.

 

The Ingredients

  • Olive Oil, approx 2 tbs
  • 3-4 pounds bone in chicken
  • 1 lg onion(I prefer to cook with sweet onions)-chopped
  • 1-2 stalks of Celery-chopped
  • 1 Bell Pepper-chopped
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes(I prefer to use one with basil in it already)
  • garlic
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • 1 lb mushrooms sliced
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 tsp basil if you didn’t have it in the crushed tomatoes
  • egg noodles

Heat oil over med heat in a non stick dutch oven; add chicken and saute until lightly browned. Remove to a warm dish(bwhahaha, which means in my house, just put it on a plate). Saute the oninon, garlic, celery, mushrooms and bell pepper until limp, adding a dash of salt when you first put them in the pan (this brings out the sugars in the veggies and makes them more savory). Add crushed tomatoes and paste, then salt and pepper to taste, sugar and dried basil. Add chicken, cover, and simmer for an hour.

After an hour, remove chicken and debone. Shred or cut into bite size pieces; return to the sauce. Serve over noodles. You can also leave the chicken intact, but I have found it easier to serve this way with the kids.

Filed under: Random Thoughts from an Unbalanced Mind
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Comments

2 Responses to “What’s Cooking Wed: Chicken Cacciatore”

  1. Fedora on December 3rd, 2008 8:41 pm

    Mmmm… thanks, Melissa!

  2. Melissa on December 3rd, 2008 9:17 pm

    You’re welcome, Fedora. I made a wonderful baked potato soup tonight that I will have to throw up next week on the blog.

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