CEIMB Rewind: Chicken Cacciatore

Despite the fact that I decided to sit out this Thursday while the other CEIMB'ers make lamb chops, I still wanted to do something Ellie Krieger-related. I thought I'd make a CEIMB recipe that the other bloggers in the group had made in the past, before I was a part of the group. I settled on Chicken Cacciatore, both because it sounded good and easy, and because I just happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. The one big component of this dish that is missing is the mushrooms. I hardly ever keep them in stock, but I did have carrots to use in their place. I know that mushrooms are an important part of a cacciatore, so I hope my rendition is still faithful enough to the original.

I was cooking like a madwoman while the kids were occupied, and then right around the time I was finishing up, the baby started begging for food at my heels and being very demanding. That is why we wound up with that silly opening picture, and not a proper "finished plate" picture this time. Sorry about that! That's actually a photo of the leftovers, getting ready to be tossed into the fridge! I missed the boat this time.

Thankfully, despite the kids' neediness and everything else, this was still a very easy dish to make. Start out by browning some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a pot or dutch oven, then remove them and set aside. Saute some carrots, onion, and red bell pepper, then add some wine (I used red) to deglaze. After the liquid has been reduced by at least a third, the pot is ready for the tomatoes. Ellie uses diced, but mine were partially diced, mostly crushed. It still works! Add the reserved chicken breasts back into the pot, and let it simmer away.

I especially like the fact that there is lots of time during the cooking process where no babysitting is required. You can just let this stuff bubble away on the stove while you get other parts of the meal put together. I served this with wide egg noodles (which were great for soaking up all that sauce!) and steamed broccoli. Healthy and delicious, just like Ellie would have wanted!

As I said in my last CEIMB post, I will be back to cooking with the group next week. We'll be having pancakes, which I am very excited about! Breakfast is my favorite meal, especially when it's more than just a bowl of cereal.

The chicken cacciatore was originally chosen, back in January of 2009, by Peggy of Pantry Revisited. You can check out her blog to see how she fared with the dish. You can find the recipe on her blog, and also here.