Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4
There are a million ways to make Chicken Cacciatore. Some recipes use bone in skin on thighs and breasts some serve it over rice or pasta. It's really up to you. I like this one because I usually have frozen chicken breasts on hand and it comes together pretty quickly. Even when I'm just cooking for 2 I'll make the full recipe, minus 2 chicken breasts, then freeze the leftover sauce for another day.
Here is what you will need:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halfs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine (or red)
1 large ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 TBS drained capers
1 TBS fresh oregano chopped. (1 1/2 tsp dried)
2 TBS chopped fresh basil leaves plus some fresh for serving
olive oil
kosher salt and pepper
Here is what you need to do:
Slice the chicken breast open like a book. Start at the thickest part of the chicken, put your knife in the center and place your palm on top. Slowly slide you knife through the chicken length wide leaving the chicken in tact.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper then dredge it in the flour to lightly coat.
Heat about 2 TBS of oil in a large saute pan and heat it to medium high. Add the chicken to the pan, you may have to do this in batches, and cook about 2-3 minutes per side. It will depend on thickness. Move the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pan and add in the pepper and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until onion is tender. Add in the garlic and stir for about a minute then pour in the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes and the juice in the can, capers and broth. (If using dry oregano add that in now too.) Bring the sauce to a simmer and turn down the heat. Add in the basil and fresh oregano and let sauce thicken. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning if needed. When the sauce is almost the thickness you want add in the chicken to finish cooking. If you chicken breasts are thin they may only need to be in the sauce a couple of minutes, thicker will take a little longer.
Serve the chicken topped with the sauce and some fresh basil. You can also serve it on top of rice or pasta and some garlic bread! Let's Eat!!