Internet Roulette

I'm a little Irish and a little English and a little Cherokee, but I don't have an ounce of Italian in me. Yesterday I was feeling in an Italian mood, so I looked thorough several cookbooks for a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore. Years ago, I had clipped one from a magazine but it's long gone, disintegrated with time! I can remember using stewed tomatoes and boneless skinless chicken breasts- evidently that's breaking Rule #3 in the Italian Cooking Book. I didn't know!

I looked awhile and then I thought, GOOGLE for a good recipe! By the spin of the Internet Roulette Wheel, this one came up. Not only was it delicious, the directions for the pasta are KEY. Secret directions that are passed down, Mother to daughter and I was just lucky enough to be in the right place- at the right time! Sharing...

Chicken Cacciatore~serves 4-6 PRINT

Dana Bunjon-Dining Dish

3 tablespoons pure olive oil or canola oil

1 large onion diced

½ cup diced celery

1 medium green pepper diced

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic crushed

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon crushed dried chili flakes

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup white wine

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, crushed with liquid

1 12 oz can tomato sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

Chicken:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons pure olive oil or canola oil

4 to 6 pounds chicken thighs, skin and bone in (no boneless, skinless chicken breast permitted)

¼ to ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

*Heat 3 tablespoon of pure olive oil in 6 quart saucepan/dutch oven over a medium high heat.

*Add onions, celery, green peppers and salt and stir. After about 3 minutes add the crushed garlic, stir and let it cook until onions are translucent and green peppers have become soft.

*Add the sliced mushrooms, stir and let them get soft and give off their liquid. Add the dried basil, oregano and crushed chili flakes. Stir and cook about 2 minutes.

*Add the chicken stock, white wine, whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar. Stir and turn the heat to low or medium low. You want the sauce to be simmering not rapidly boiling. Cover and let simmer. Stir from time to time. Let cook for approximately 1 hour. After the hour, start to prep your chicken.

*In a large bowl stir the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt, black pepper and mix well. Coat enough pieces of chicken in the flour mixture that will comfortably fit in your sauté pan. Be sure to shake off excess flour.

*Heat sauté pan on medium high heat and add oil. As soon as the oil is hot add the chicken pieces skin side down and let them sear. You want them to get a nice golden color and then turn the piece over to sear a couple of minutes. Put the chicken on a plate and repeat the process until all the chicken has been seared.

*Place the seared chicken in the saucepan with the sauce, making sure the chicken pieces are submerged in the sauce. Add any juices to the sauce that have accumulated on the plate from the chicken. Let it all simmer for about 1 ½ hours. Do not put the lid on the pot. Stir from time-to-time and add additional liquid if it seems to be getting too thick (i.e. chicken stock, wine or water).

How to cook Pasta the RIGHT Way
Dana's instructions here are important, Italian secrets! 

Always cook your pasta in plenty of well salted boiling water.

Cook your pasta for ½ the time written on the box directions.

Reserve one cup of the of the pasta boiling water for each pound you make.

Use heated plates. If you put hot pasta and sauce on a cold plate the sauce will break, become watery. TIP: Put the colander on top of your dinner plates, and strain the pasta over them.

Put the pasta back in the pot with the reserved pasta boiling water and equal amount of pasta sauce.

Stir the pasta and reserved water over the heat. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes so the pasta is al dente (to tooth) and the liquid has been absorbed and coating the pasta..you want it to be chewy not soft or mushy. 

Take it off the heat and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 

Plate the pasta and top each portion with about ¼ cup of sauce.