Chicken Cacciatore

http://teriskitchen.com/shared-recipes/chicken-cacciatore.html

(Shared recipe submitted by David Beale.)

Serves 4

David writes: "This famous dish, one of the most popular Italian imports, can be prepared ahead and warmed up at serving time and, if there should happen to be any left over, it is just as good the next day. The name means 'hunter's style', possibly because the dish always contains mushrooms."

Ingredients

   Seasoning Mix

• 3 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic® (can use other seasoning mix of choice)
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves

   Main Ingredients

• 1 chicken (3 to 3-1/2 pounds), all visible fat removed, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cans (about 16-ounces each) whole tomatoes with their liquid
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 cup dry red wine, divided
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
• 2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 1 cup julienne onions
• 2 cups julienne green bell peppers
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh garlic
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix evenly over the chicken and rub it in well. Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into a bowl and crush them with your hands.

Heat the oil in a heavy 5-quart pot over high heat until very hot, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook, turning once or twice, until just golden brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. (You may have to cook the chicken in batches.) Remove the chicken to a bowl and set aside.

Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to the oil in the pot and scrape up all the browned bits on the bottom. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and beginning to stick to the pot, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2-cup of the wine and scrape the pot bottom clean. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, scraping the bottom of the pot from time to time, about 4 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the minced garlic, scrape the bottom of the pot clean, and bring to a bubbling boil. Add the remaining seasoning mix, the remaining 1/2-cup wine, and 1 cup of the stock. Stir in the julienned onions and bell peppers and the sliced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, stir and bring to a bubbling boil. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup stock, cover, and simmer for 7 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes. The sauce should be a rich, dark reddish brown. Serve 2 pieces of chicken per person with about 1 cup of sauce over your favorite pasta. Freeze any leftover sauce for another pasta dinner.

Disclaimer: This recipe was submitted by a contributor and has not been tested by TerisKitchen.com.

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