Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Paula's Chicken Cacciatore

When I didn't think my life could get any nuttier, we go and throw a puppy in the mix! Don't get me wrong, it is a VERY good thing. It has been almost 13 years since Muffin died, and I forgot how nice it is to have a furry, adoring little buddy to cuddle with. Brianna's school, Bella's potty-training, home renovations, and puppy care have me so far behind at home. It is going to take me hours to get this laundry caught up! I wish there were more hours in the day because I have so many pics, etc. to share with you.

On my friend Paula's blog , she posted a really easy and delicious recipe that I would like to share with you all. It is something I had never made before but always intended to. All the ingredients were in my pantry, and it took no time to throw together.
Chicken Cacciatore
3lb chicken pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper, to taste
28oz stewed tomatoes
28 oz tomato sauce
1/4 cup red wine (I substituted beef stock)
1/4 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
I happened to have 1.5 lbs of chicken thighs in my freezer that needed to be used up, so I only made half a recipe. I seasoned them up with s&p and browned them in a bit of olive oil in my enameled cast iron dutch oven. While the 2nd side was browning, I did go ahead and throw the onion and garlic in so they could carmelize a little bit.
From that point on, you just throw in the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer away! Paula was so right... it smells AMAZING as it cooks.
I served it up they way she suggested, with some roasted potatoes and toasted French bread. I think it would be good on top of rice or noodles, also. There was leftover sauce after we ate all of the chicken, which I saved and tossed with some cooked shell pasta. The girls really loved that for their lunch (and so did I ☺).

4 comments:

bunzi said...

looks good. how do you usually defrost ur meat? :) i have a ton of thighs in the freezer.

SquishyCuteStuff said...

Definitely not the USDA-suggested method! LOL They want you to thaw it in the frig over a matter of a day or two, and that takes too dang long (especially if you don't know in advance what you are going to cook). I often do it on the defrost mode in the microwave if I am in a hurry. If it is in an air-tight package (like a ziploc bag or a vacuum-pack bag), I will float it in a sink of water to help it thaw faster. I have one of those "As Seen on TV" things from a long time ago, which is basically a slab of metal with a non-stick coating. It is SUPPOSED to thaw a frozen steak in 15 minutes...it doesn't work that well. BUT it does seem to thaw things faster. I have tried it with a regular non-stick pan, and that works okay too.

Paula said...

Wow, my first blog mention :) I'm so glad your family like the cacciatore. I always loved when we went to my grandma's in Toronto and that smell came wafting out the door. Sometimes, if I have a bunch of sauce and maybe a chicken piece or two left over I add more veg. and shred the meat and make soup -nearly as yummy

Mytutorlist.com said...

Mmmm, it looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe.