One of the tricks to being a good cook is knowing when not to overdo it. Several years ago I was cooking dinner for a then-boyfriend and decided that I wanted to make some sort of fancy seafood situation. I spent about an hour wandering around the grocery store before I settled on sautéed scallops and a simple risotto. Let me just say that neither of those ideas were simple. What would have been simple? Easy Chicken Cacciatore. While the end result of this meal was delicious, scallops are delicate and it isn’t easy to cook them perfectly without your undivided attention. It also isn’t easy to cook risotto when you’d rather be doing other things, like charming a new male suitor with your effortlessly amazing cooking skills.
The better choice would be to skip the dishes that require nonstop hands-on supervision and opt for a “set it and forget it” meal that still offers elegance and sophistication to your dinner table. Chicken Cacciatore cooks low and slow, so you can prepare your sauce and let it simmer to perfection — while you can enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner guest and pretend you barely had to lift a finger over your bound-to-be amazing meal.
- 4 chicken thighs, skin and fat removed (about 1 pound)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil leaves
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups cooked (12 oz uncooked) high fiber or whole wheat pasta
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place olive oil a large skillet or sauté pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and cook just until each side is just browned, about four or five minutes per side.
- Add the peppers, onion and garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat until the vegetables become tender, about four minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another three minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, using a healthy pinch of each. Next, add the tomatoes and chicken broth.
- Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Add the chopped basil and cook for another five minutes. minutes before sauce is done. Serve the chicken over a cup of whole wheat spaghetti or linguine.
1 Comment
Kelsey
March 24, 2015 at 12:36 pmYum this looks delicious simple and elegant! Can’t wait to try it out!
-Kelsey