Chicken Cacciatore

I've always wanted to make this dish and thanks to my friend, Michelle, I finally did! She posted a picture of her dinner and the recipe on Facebook one night and I quickly  nabbed it! Thanks Michelle. She has lots of great recipes posted on her Willow House page too so be sure to check those out.

http://michellepuletti.willowhouse.com/NewsAndEvents/FeatureDetail/25324

But let's get back to me and my blog for now. :-) I love dishes that have tomato flavor and adding peppers and mushrooms just makes it even better. I love that combination. Let's get started on our Chicken Cacciatore. Isn't that fun to say?? Chicken Cacciatore. What did you have for dinner....Chicken Cacciatore. Okay, back to the instructions. Let's make some Chicken Cacciatore!

Ingredients:

1 large package of Pick of the Chix (or really whatever you like, anything works)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb white mushrooms, quartered

2 small onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick

2 large bell peppers (preferably 1 red and 1 green), sliced 1/4 inch thick. I used yellow because it was prettier.

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1/2 cup dry red wine

One 28-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes

One 14 1/2-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth

3/4 pound linguine (I served with angel hair because I like that better)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 T Italian seasoning

3-5 fresh thyme sprigs

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

 flat-leaf parsley

 

parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Remove most of skin from chicken. Heat a deep 10-inch skillet or 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces; cook until browned, about 8 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate.

In same pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms; cook on medium-high, stirring, until softened and browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan; add onions, peppers, and garlic; cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes.

I love those colors! See why I like red and yellow? So pretty.

Pour in wine; bring to a boil. Cook until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, fresh thyme, italian seasoning and broth; return chicken to pan. Simmer, turning occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour.

Stir in mushrooms and fresh basil. While the chicken is finishing up, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain; serve with chicken and sauce. Garnish with more basil or parsley and parmesan cheese.

 

Enjoy!