Chicken Cacciatore

 My mom used to make a dish from time to time; it was basically a spaghetti Bolognese sauce with chicken in it.  I loved it, cause the chicken was falling off the bone and had this unctuous, luscious feel to it.     

I was in a supermarket yesterday, and for some reason, my mind went to making a spaghetti sauce, but I didn't want to buy any ground beef, and honestly, I never even thought of maybe making it with ground turkey or ground pork.  I'd pretty much decided to just make it with the tomatoes, onions, and mushrooms, and then I got the bright idea, I could add some chicken wings to the sauce.   I had googled what it is called when you have canned tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and chicken cooked together.  The answer was a chicken cacciatore, aka chicken stew or hunter's stew.  I'd already had the can of tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, and garlic simmering on the stove, so I defrosted a package of chicken wings, threw them into the toaster oven, and browned them for a while, and then added them to the simmering tomato sauce, then read the original recipe and it called for some peppers and celery, so I grabbed a package of peppers, onions, mushrooms and celery out of the freezer.  (I'd frozen them for future dishes, like my Grilled Cheese, Extraordinary.)   They're also good for omelettes, soup, or stew.  And I think they added a nice touch to this dish.  I also had a few cherry tomatoes that needed to be eaten, so they got chopped up as well.  And not to be outdone, I added some chicken stock for some extra unctuousness.     I let it simmer on top of the stove for an hour and then put it into a Dutch oven, and let it cook for another couple of hours in the oven.  I think this would be a great dish in a crockpot as well.   But I don't have one, so it is what it is.  

 

Chicken Cacciatore

Yield: 2-4

Author: Sid's Sea Palm Cooking adapted from many recipes

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 HourTotal time: 3 H & 10 M

This rich tomato sauce honors the best of chicken and tomatoes. There is no added salt in this recipe. You can add some if you like. But no more than a half teaspoon.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes - 16 oz. size
• 1 small can of tomato paste - 6 ounces
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4-6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 bell pepper - diced
• 1 stalk celery - diced
• 1/2-1 cup chicken stock - optional
• 4-6 whole chicken wings, drumsticks, or thighs - browned in the oven or some fat.
• 1-2 tablespoons butter for sauteeing the veggies

Instructions

1. Sauté the vegetables in butter with Italian seasoning until softened, then add the tomatoes and browned chicken.
2. Add the chicken stock if desired, along with another 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder.
3. Let cook in the oven for 1-2 hours or in a crockpot for 6-8 hours. The meat will be tender, falling off the bone. Dark meat or wings are best for this dish as they can handle the long cook time.
4. Serve with your choice of starch, such as pasta, rice, or potatoes.

Estimate only

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