Chicken Cacciatore-ish. Cathy's one pot meal.

mmm-yoso!!!, the blog that you are reading, is about food that Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy, as we, as a few other friends, eat.  Sometimes we go out to eat,sometimes we stay in.  Today, it is Cathy's turn to blog. This is an "in" meal.

Hi. Well, this has been some year for me so far. I have been busy with quite a few projects and also have done some cooking, using items on sale this week.  This is another meal for two for $5. Actually, you'll pay more for all the ingredients, but this should serve at least four (do you really eat 1/2 chicken all by yourself?), so the portion price is less than $2.50.

The word "cacciatore' means 'hunter' in Italian. This stew, made with tomatoes and mushrooms is traditional in that way. I've added and changed a few things...

Whole chickens are on sale at Vons for 77¢/lb. As long as you know how to use a knife to cut the chicken into pieces, you will save money over buying a cut up chicken.  You'll also need a large can of diced or chopped or stewed tomatoes ( I always stock up when on sale), a bell pepper (the orange ones were on sale for $1.99/lb whereas the green ones were 89¢ each...the small ones really do not weigh 1/2 lb you know), some garlic and three small handfuls of fresh mushrooms (less than one pound).

 Of course, you will also need flour, salt, pepper and I use Herbes de Provence as my choice of flavoring...

 

Heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a deep skillet (remember: hot pan, cold oil, food won't stick).  Put in the pieces of chicken which you have dredged in the flour/salt/pepper mix.  Let it brown.  You *never* turn it back and forth.  Put it in, let it brown on one side, then turn it over to brown on the other side. (also. don't bother cooking the back piece or neck and gizzards...freeze those pieces and you can use them to make a chicken stock later). 

Take the chicken out of the pan, leave the oil in and add the chopped bell pepper and chopped fresh garlic cloves.

Let the peppers and garlic get soft. 

Put the chicken back in.

Top with the canned tomatoes.

I then add the Herbes de Provence and some liquid- stock, broth or a few cups of wine... 

 

Cover and let this cook(simmer) for about 30 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, quarter the mushrooms (don't slice them...when they cook, they will get mushy).  Put in the pan, with the lid and simmer about 10 minutes more.

Serve on top of cooked pasta (remember- cook in salted water and drain; don't rinse), or just with some good, crusty bread.

Cathy's Cacciatore

1 whole chicken, cut.  Reserve back to use for stock.

Dredge in flour/salt/pepper

Brown in 2 Tbs hot oil in deep pan. Remove from pan.

Brown garlic and bell pepper in the pan.  Put chicken back into pan.

Pour one large can tomatoes and 2 cups liquid (broth, stock, wine) over all in pan. Add some Herbes de Provence.  Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Uncover, add about 2 cups quartered fresh mushrooms. Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Serve over pasta.

 

Comments

[Faine G]

I made cacciatore myself last night! I used the Marcella Hazan recipe and it came out pretty tasty. I'll have to give your version a spin next time. Looks most yummy.

[Julian]

Polenta is better with cacciatore. Rosemary is a key flavoring. So says the Roman Nana

[Amy]

Mmmm, yummy! Also good with a slice of bacon chopped and browned with the veggies, white wine to deglaze after adding the mushrooms. But, ahem, I digress into more expensive cacciatore there! (Julian, rosemary is in the herbs de provence mixture.)

[Carol]

Love chicken cacciatore. We usually eat the first meal with pasta and then leftover with rice. It is definitely a very tasty and frugal dish.

I make mine just a tad different than yours. I usually add just a touch of wine, a bit of chicken broth, garlic, basil and oregano. I usually only use either red or orange bell peppers since I'm not a bit fan of the green ones. I'll have to remember to quarter the mushrooms next time. Think it'll be much better that way. Great tip! :-D

[ed (from Yuma)]

While my recipe is a little different, this dish is one of my favs. Glad to see you've come up with another basic easy tasty recipe. Thanks!

[Cathy]

Hi Faine! Welcome to the commenting side...I love your blog. It is so nice to see and know that young people cook food well. This is a basic recipe of mine, which can always be jazzed up with whatever you find on the shelves.

Hey Julian- Polenta is good with it, but I make polenta from scratch...and two hours of the pot on the stove, or an hour in the oven versus boiling water and making some noodles...

Hi Amy- Bacon? I could try that. Thanks for the idea. I never deglazed this one, just tossed in wine as my liquid. I always seem to have an open bottle. :)
Yes, Herbes de Provence has rosemary, marjoram, thyme, savory and sometimes lavender...a blend kind of the same way curry is a blend of spices. Although there are so many possiblities of a curry blend...

Your recipe sounds good too Carol. I guess I use whatever is around...and the stuff I showed for this was what I had when I was ready to start cooking.

Thanks, ed. I just have to take out my camera when in the kitchen a little more often.

[the office goat]

Made this saturday night.
Didn't have any bell pepper, but I did have an onion. No herbs de provence, but I did have marjoram, thyme and a large rosemary bush outside. Used a bottle of 2-Buck Chuck for the liquid. Served it over some fresh spinach&garlic pasta from Fresh&Easy but otherwise stuck to the recipe.
My wife and I really liked it. My kids thought it tasted "funny" (I need to give them wine more often, I guess) but they both loved the mushrooms.

[Cathy]

Well, you have all the flavors in there, tog, so perhaps the varietal of the Charles Shaw was off...:)

Seriously, the only thing I can think of that coud make it taste 'off' would be bitterness imparted by the fresh rosemary. I, too, have a rosemary plant, purchsed as a $2 four inch potted 'Christmas Tree' a few years ago, which has now grown to an about 5 foot cube. It is of the Chernobyl variety. I use a lot of fresh rosemary and find I have to be careful with sauces.

[the office goat]

I think the flavor was great, it's just my young kids haven't had a lot of experience yet with chicken cooked in wine. There weren't any "off" flavors unless one was to eat one of the rosemary branches (and I pulled those out before anything went on the kids' plates). My kids are just finicky (as kids are wont to be). In fact we had the last of it for leftovers last night and my 4-year-old son insisted on getting some of the chicken from my wife despite disavowing it a few nights prior. I'll be making it again, and hopefully next time there will be some bacon in the house, you just can't go wrong with bacon.

I think I'm going to make the poormansmayofreemockpankodynamite with scallops again later this week. The kids love smashing the crackers. ;-)

[cathy]

Oh, you can indoctrinate the little ones into the joys of wine, tog. I'll try to help :)

..and yes, Bacon does go with everything.

Love that PMMFMPD. Sometimes I just mix butter and crackers and cream and bake it in the toaster oven on a cookie sheet...sad little life I have...made happier with Saltines.