Chicken Cacciatore

I got married in August 2009 and immediately after my husband and I bought our first home together :) In fact, we signed the contract in the parking lot of the church on the night of our Rehearsal! We had been looking for about 6 months prior and found our house 3 days before the wedding. Talk about a stressful situation!

Following our closing we spent the next 3 months working on the house- did lots of painting, refinished hardwood floors, tiled, etc. Needless to say- we were eating a lot of takeout. So I decided I was going to make a New Years resolution: cook and bake more often. I wanted to make a conscious effort to make sure something sweet and homemade was always in the house for my husband :) I've never been one to keep a New Years resolution, but I actually kept this one! It turned into something much greater than I had expected- a new hobby!

So this week I was trying to think of a dinner I could make with the ingredients I had available. I had chicken thighs in the refrigerator, cans of tomatoes and chicken broth and thought lets make a chicken cacciatore stew! I googled it on the Food Network website and came across Giada's version. I liked the ingredients she listed and thought this could turn into something good! I added a few extra ingredients here and there, but I give Giada all of the credit! It was so flavorful and even better the next day.


Chicken Cacciatore
Adapted From Giada De Laurentiis
Serves: 4 servings
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients
4 chicken thighs
2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons drained capers
1/4 cup chopped olives
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or parsley


Directions
Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers, olives, broccoli and oregano.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil or parsely and serve. Recommend serving over white rice.