Ah, Sunday dinner. Back from the city we were trying to decide what to have for dinner. Best to keep it simple and use some of the tomatoes we had picked. I wanted to make fresh pasta with my chicken, but time ran out, so angel hair it was.
Cacciatore is Italian for "hunter". "Alla cacciatore" means hunter style with tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, etc. Items every good Italian hunter/cook would have in his kitchen I suppose. If you don't have a farmer in the family who harvests tomatoes from your garden, then just use a can of chopped italian tomatoes. Chicken thighs work really well in this, too, and when it's done the meat just falls off of the bone. Make sure you serve this with good bread, too, because the sauce is yummy to dip it in.
Chicken Cacciatore
1 cut up chicken or 2 lbs chicken thighs
2 cups chopped tomatoes, or 1 15 oz can Italian style chopped tomatoes
1-2 thinly sliced red bell peppers, seeds and stem removed
1 1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 chopped fresh basil
1 bay leaf
1/2 c. dry white wine
Olive oil (about 3 TBSP)
Salt and white pepper
Salt chicken. Heat olive oil very large saute pan. Saute garlic and onion over high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. When meat has a nice sear on it (about 4-5 minutes), turn over in pan and deglaze with wine. Add tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and bay leaf. Continue to cook over medium to med low heat, covered for 40-45 minutes. Serve over pasta or polenta. Serves 4-6.
I love the plate and I LOVE the food on it. Great photo!
Posted by: Dragon | August 14, 2008 at 08:25 PM