I imagine that just about everyone is experiencing “shelter in place” right now, limiting going outside unless absolutely necessary and maybe getting a bit antsy being cooped up in your homes. Trying to turn this into a positive for me means spending a lot of time cooking. I recently made chicken cacciatore and it brought back some really wonderful memories, it has been a long time since I made this dish and after the first bite I understood why I liked it so much and wondered what took me so long to make it. I wish you all good health, stay inside as much as possible, wash your hands, a lot! We will get through this and things will be back to normal (maybe a new normal) Much love, be safe and be well.
What have you been cooking? Let me know.
Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4-6
4-6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on or a whole chicken cut up
1 large green bell pepper sliced
mushrooms (sliced) as much or as little as you like
2 shallot chopped
2 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 26 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
splash of red wine to deglaze the pan
flour to dredge the chicken
Gnocchi (I didn’t make it used De Cecco
Dredge chicken in flour and set aside. Heat large cast iron or heavy fry pan (with lid) with high sides with enough olive oil to coat the pan generously. I used a Staub cast iron multi use pan with enamel coating (its awesome)
When pan is hot place the chicken in the pan careful not to crowd the pan skin side down. Cook approximately 4-5 minutes on medium high heat until nicely browned, turn over and repeat. Remove from pan.
On medium/high heat add shallots and green pepper and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue cooking until soft but not caramelized. Remove and set aside, add the red wine to deglaze the pan, add the chicken, vegetables and tomatoes, season to taste. Put lid on, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 or 2 hours stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom.
When done add the gnocchi directly to the pan, no need to boil them first. Let them simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes until done. Garnish with some chopped parsley and grated parmigiana or Romano cheese.
