Chicken Cacciatore

Since its been so chilly out here, I decided I wanted to make something comforting. I was thinking chicken since I had it on hand, and I wanted to use it up to make room in the freezer. I kept thinking back to a Chicken Cacciatore recipe that my cousin had made several times for me. I remembered that the recipe was from the Rao's Cookbook, which I knew my mother had but didn't feel like driving to her house for the book. So I took to the internet. I went to the Rao's website but that only told me to get some of there jarred sauce ( which are great, but that's another post) and some chicken and I was looking for a from scratch recipe. It was hard to find one that didn't have tomatoes in the sauce..See I love Italian food, but as strange as this may sound I love all things tomato except tomatoes. Its the texture that throws me, so when I was perusing recipes for a Chicken Cacciatore dish I was going to have to switch it up a bit no matter which one I went with. As I read all these recipes I wasn't feeling any of them. So I went with a recipe from Giada who I love, off the food network website. I used this as a base and did my own thing

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-cacciatore-recipe/index.html

Chicken Cacciatore

• 3 chicken breasts
• 4 chicken thighs
  
• 1 large red pepper, chopped large pieces
• 1 large orange pepper, chopped large pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped large pieces
• 1 cup, pureed tomato
  
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  
• 1 tsp garlic powder
  
• 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar, to taste
• Salt and pepper
  

• Sprinkle Chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and in two batches brown chicken in heavy dutch oven , remove from pot after nicely browned on both sides cover with foil
  
• Add peppers and onions and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft season with salt and pepper and then add chicken broth scrape bottom to break up bits on bottom for extra flavor
  
• Add tomato puree, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder then bring to a simmer
• Reduce heat on chicken to low and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours
  
• If too thin add a cornstarch slurry ( added )

SIDE NOTES: So after I made this I realized that I had omitted two ingredients with out meaning to, white wine and flour. I had both and simply forgot, the wine would have given it a bit a tang and the flour would have helped to thicken the sauce which it needed. I also had to substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic eekk I know, but I didn't have any fresh ( ok so I forgot to grab it when I was at the supermarket happens to the best of us... )

Add 3 Garlic cloves finely chopped
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 flour for dredging

Stay tuned for my recipe using the left overs...

Sorry no pictures we ate it too fast.....