This recipe had a few more ingredients needed than the usual recipes I have been trying out, but I figured why not give it a try since I had everything. In the cookbook she describes it as a recipe that checks all the boxes, it's easy to make, everyone loves it and you can prepare it in advance and refrigerate or freeze leftovers.
Lets take it one step at a time - Easy to make. For the most part it is. Not a ton of chopping, except for the teary eyed onions and sweet smell of red bell peppers. I bought the pre-sliced mushrooms so that saved me a step and also had chicken strips instead of bone-in breast as they were cheaper at Trader Joes (only all natural cage free chicken for me). I read the instructions carefully as I usually don't and just end up throwing in all the ingredients at once without thought and then realizing afterwards there is a process to follow and a reason why. Sauteed the onions and bell peppers after browning the chicken (transferred to a plate in the meantime). Then browned the mushrooms and added coking white wine to reduce. Now I don't usually have wine on hand as I don't drink it and had a bottle of cooking white wine that I used instead, don't know if this makes any difference at all, but the headed the warning on the label and did not consume any as I cooked (plus it smelled too strong). I then added the tomatoes and spices and simmered for ten minutes before adding the chicken back in to cook. Now the only thing I would change here would be to lower the stovetop temperature as after the allotted cooking time the sauce had all reduced own to a browning (some would call burning) mess stuck to the bottom of the pan. I've seen on TV where their deglace it with wine or something, but I'm not that skilled so I just had a more caramelized version than intended.
Second statement- Everyone Loves it. Before tonight I've never had Chicken Cacciatore. If I'm having Italian food it's usually some heavy pasta dish in a cream sauce, I mean really who wastes their tastebuds on a tomato based sauce when eating out??? But I thought since I'm trying to eat healthier and so far have liked everything I've made from Ellie's cookbook, why not. Again cooking anything that involves onions and garlic makes me instantly like the meal more. I always feel more like a cook when the house smells of an Italian restaurant. At the end of the cooking process the wine in the sauce seem to be the overpowering scent and made me wish I had a nice vino to accompany my dish. But I only had the cooking wine or red wine vinegar, not a good choice either way so I stuck with my mineral water. I added a little rice pilaf and topped it with the chicken creation. I must say I really enjoyed the dish. I think the burning (browning) of the tomatoes, onions and peppers helped as I do like the tasted of burnt food, but it seemed more like it was supposed to be caramelized on purpose. The chicken was tender, even though I think I cooked it too much in the early browning portion of the cooking. Because the sauce was reduced down it wasn't running or too saucy. I would highly recommend giving this recipe a try if you want to make a healthy Italian meal. You can top it over spaghetti or fusilli pasta.
Last step - refrigerate the leftovers and if you want to make it a little unhealthy add some fresh made garlic bread and don't forget the glass of vino! Mangia, Mangia!
**Too dark to take a photo, had to steal off the internet
Recipe:
4 skinless bone-in chicken breast (approx 2.5 pounds)
1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
2 tsp olive oil
1 med onion, cut in half, then thinly sliced into half-moons
1 med red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
8oz thinly sliced white mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1-4.5oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes with their juices
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the a large skillet over med-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate and set aside.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add onion and bell pepper, cover and cook, stirring a few times, until the vegetables begin to soften , about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the oregano and red pepper flakes and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
Return the chicken breast to the pan and simmer, covered until they are just cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, black pepper or red pepper.
