Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe for chicken cacciatore calls for skinless chicken breasts, but you may want the additional flavor from the skin. If you do, brown the pieces in a skillet before putting in the casserole.

• 3 medium potatoes, cut in 1 inch dice
• 2 large chicken breasts, quartered and skinned
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, in 1 inch slices
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 cup mashed Italian plum tomatoes or leftover tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Freshly milled pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons grated parmigiano cheese
• Salt to taste

METHOD

Steam potatoes for five minutes and set aside. Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

Oil baking pan with olive oil. Put chicken breasts in pan, skinned side down. Place steamed potatoes around the chicken, being sure that they are on the bottom of the pan to catch cooking juices. Distribute garlic, green pepper and onion evenly over chicken and potatoes.

Ladle tomato sauce over casserole. (If sauce is thick, add 1/4 cup water.) Sprinkle fennel seeds and oregano on top, and cover with liberal grating of fresh pepper. Sprinkle the cheese over all and cover with tin foil.

Bake 1/2 hour in preheated 375° oven. Remove foil and turn the potatoes. Season with salt and baste with the cooking liquid. Bake another 15 - 20 minutes uncovered.

Serves 4 - 6

recipe from www.inmamaskitchen.com

Contributor: Al Viola for Helen Viola

 

Leftover Sauce: Before globalization taught us to cook the foods of other cultures, Italian women cooked tomato sauce once a week. Leftovers were available throughout the week to enrich other dishes. Today we have freezers which function to make our lives easier. Cook tomato sauce in vats, and save in small containers.

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