Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe became a favorite in our family after one bite. To be clear, I've only made it a couple times, but we love it. It is a combination of several different recipes that I reviewed the first time I decided to make it. It is one of those lovely meals that is homey, and comfort-food-esque at the end of a day with a glass of wine. And, as with any self-respecting comfort food meal, it makes for great leftovers. And, it would be really easy to convert to vegetarian (shiitakes instead of chicken, anyone?).

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. And I love that about this dish--as I understand it from just a bit of research(which typically makes me like my food more.) it was originally created with whatever meat a hunter brought back, plus things that could be found in his hike through the woods while hunting, like mushrooms, and things from the garden, etc. Anyway, this appeals very much to me, and knowing that makes me like the dish even more.

So, one thing I've done here to reduce food cost is to look at what meat we like to eat. It's a fact for sure that boneless skinless chicken breasts cost more than drumsticks and thighs. It's also a fact that my children are much happier eating drumsticks, while my husband is not. And, I like thighs. So, while a meal prepared completely with breast meat would make him happy, it would 1.) cost more, and 2.) cause the kids to be less happy, and 3.) cause me to be irritated because I wasted perfectly good breast meat on kids who would prefer drumsticks. So, this is my routine. When I go to the butcher I get the amount of meat I need for whatever chicken meals I have planned, plus leftovers. Then, when I get home I section them according to what we'll eat per meal, plus leftovers for the next day. For us, this is one half breast divided in half again, two chicken drumsticks, and two thighs. I stick that in gallon Ziplocs and toss them in the freezer to be thawed and used as needed. I would say that for this recipe Mise en Place is of vital importance. And, I realize that it's actually true for every recipe, but well, for this one I make sure of it... it makes a world of difference in the length/ease of preparation. While this is a relatively simple recipe, it has enough parts that if you're not Mise en Placing, it might get irritating and hectic, that's my only point. And I realize that Mise en Placing is not actually a correct use of the word. I'm taking some sort of artistic license. So, my process for it is to:

1. Cut up all the vegetables and pile them on a plate/cutting board.

2. Chop up mushrooms and place them on a plate.

3. open can of tomatoes, chop tomatoes, whatever, open bottle of wine, set out salt and pepper and either chop fresh or set out all of the spices I'm going to need in one place.

4. Set meat on a plate, salt and pepper and flour.

5. Then heat up oil, butter etc. and start cooking.

Doing it in this order, especially for a mother who's constantly running in and out of the kitchen while working really helps keep things from getting burned, and from being hectic.

So, once you're ready spaghetti:

Brown your meat.

Remove meat, and use the same pan to brown your veggies.

Add a can of diced tomatoes, or peel and slice fresh/frozen and add them.

Add approximately 1 cup of red wine. Supposedly Northern Italians use white wine for this dish, and it's more common to use red wine in the south. I have to go with the Southern Italians on this. The flavors are strong and deep enough that I feel a red wine is called for here, although I'd never say no if a person from the North end of Italy was looking to make this for me with white.

This was my pick for this time. It was alright--Maryhill has some awesome wines, I just forget that I'm not a fan of blended wines. Last time I made it with the Cabernet Sauvignon from this winery... and WOW. (Careful, they've got music on their site, and it about gave me a heart attack when I linked up.) Anyway, I need to learn to not ever buy winemaker's red/red table wines... I always forget that, and it tastes like a leftover grape dump happened into the bottle. I don't mind blending a few grapes, but of all the ones I've tasted it's too many grapes and it tastes all muddly. Anyway, I'd go with a good heavy red... a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon, or a Zinfandel. Yes, Auntie G, a Syrah would work nicely. And dear reader, if you have a winemaker's red that you like, please share. It bothers me a bit that I haven't found one I'm thrilled with yet.

So, after you've got all your ingredients good and browned, stick your wine in, give it a stir, and nestle the meat back in the pot, along with all your Italian spices--my mix includes basil, thyme, oregano and parsley. I can't wait to walk out to my garden and get fresh for this.

And, walk away for a bit. Or, if you're me, do dishes. (This was the only picture of my homemade french bread I took, so you're getting it. It turned out beautiful. The bread, not the picture.) After baking in the oven covered for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, add your mushrooms. Stir them in, and let cook at least 10 minutes more. This dish appears so far to be pretty forgiving with cook times--meaning that it can definitely cook longer than the times I'm giving you and it will only get better.

Serve with your wine pick, and fresh french bread to sop up the juices...

Here's my recipe, all in one piece. I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken according to your family's tastes, this recipe is for about 3 pounds of meat

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 TBSP Butter

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

6-8 cloves garlic, diced

6 button mushrooms, or other mushrooms according to your tastes, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

3/4-1 cup good red wine

Italian Seasoning to taste or a mix of fresh Italian herbs: Basil, Thyme, Parsley, Oregano

Salt, and freshly ground pepper

Penne Pasta

Garlic Bread

Parmesan cheese

1. Slice up the bell pepper, the onion and the garlic, and set aside.

2. Slice up the mushrooms, and set aside.

3. Set meat out, and salt and pepper both sides, then sprinkle both sides with flour.

4. Heat the butter and a few tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, then brown the chicken on both sides.

5. remove chicken, and brown the peppers, onions, and garlic.

6. Add the diced tomatoes, 3/4-one cup wine, and salt and pepper and herbs. Stir together.

7. Nestle chicken back into the pot. Make sure it is mostly covered in sauce.

8. Cover, and place in oven for at least 30 minutes at 350.

9. After 30 minutes, add mushrooms. Stir together, cover and cook for at least 10 minutes more.

10. Bring water to a boil. Cook Penne Pasta al dente.

11. Remove and drain pasta, then stir together with olive oil, salt and ground pepper, and a sprinkling of herbs used in the chicken dish.

12. Serve with fresh bread of your choice and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

P.S. leftovers are TO. DIE. FOR. I know I said that already, but it really does bear repeating.