Chicken Cacciatore

I am the first to admit that I much rather bake than cook – I like the exact science of baking as opposed to the freedom of cooking, well freedom to some extent. I always get paranoid while I am cooking that I added too much salt or not enough salt or for that matter too much or too little of any spice. But lately I have been cooking pretty much every day – It’s not like I wasn’t eating before, just someone else was doing the cooking – and I must admit I am not as intimated by it as I was before. I mean I’m really good at reading directions and following a recipe so cooking shouldn’t have been that daunting to me, but for some reason it was. Since I have this newfound semi-confidence and it sort of fits into the theme of my blog I have decided to post about some of my culinary creations – albeit not completely original. Up first, a Chicken Cacciatore that was super simple to make in part because I used McCormick’s Recipe Inspirations to make it. If you haven’t tried these or seen them in the supermarket they are definitely worth the search and try. All of the spices for your recipe are pre-measured and the remaining ingredients you will need are clearly marked and the directions are super simple to follow. It’s sort of like cheating but not really.

 

First step was to get all of my vegetables prepped. I chopped one onion and sliced a green bell pepper into strips. The recipe also called for thinly sliced mushrooms which are easily found at any supermarket.

Next I prepped my chicken breast by first cutting it into cubes (they are not exactly cubes), then coating it with a flour, salt & pepper mixture and finally browning it.

  

After removing the chicken from the skillet I put in all of the vegetables cooking them on medium heat until they were tender.

Once the vegetables were tender I added in all of the spices (minced garlic, marjoram leaves, oregano leaves, crushed rosemary leaves and thyme), a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce.

After bringing it to a boil I returned my chicken to the skillet.

I cooked it until it was heated through and until I was sure the chicken was fully cooked.

It went perfectly with rice and while I am sure I will make this again I think I will use less thyme than suggested. Its one spice that when dried has a stronger flavor than when fresh.

Chicken Cacciatore

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. marjoram leaves

1/2 tsp. oregano leaves

1/2 tsp. crushed rosemary leaves

1/2 tsp. thyme leaves

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tbsp. olive oil, divided

1 pkg. (8oz.) mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips (1 cup)

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

Directions

1. Mix flour, salt and pepper in shall dish. Coat chicken evenly with flour mixture.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet. Heat remaining 1 tbsp. oil in skillet. Add mushrooms, onions and bell peppers; cook and stir 5 minutes on medium heat or until tender.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients and spices. Bring to boil, stirring frequently. Return chicken to skillet. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Serve over cooked or rise, if desired.