Chicken Cacciatore

 On Friday my husband had arthroscopic shoulder surgery to due to arthritis in his shoulder. He has done very well, just 2 little incisions, that could be covered with band aids, after the initial dressing came off. He has had very little pain, and is regaining the movement in his shoulder. He had a nerve block, so he didn't have to have a general  anesthesia. which has hastened his recovery.

Yesterday, he felt so good that he wanted to cook, so he made a Chicken Cacciatore recipe  from Giada, De Laurentis, which is a one pot meal. He went slow and rested every now and then.  I had to go to a Christmas party at the nursing home for my Dad, so he stayed home and cooked;)

 Cacciatore refers to a dish cooked "hunter style" with mushrooms, fowl, onions, tomatoes, and wine.  Now Giada's recipe didn't have mushrooms, but next time we will add them. We also didn't add the capers, because they are high in sodium.  Also, the sauce seemed a little thin, so we might thicken it a little bit more, when we reheat it. That's the beauty of one pot meals, that they make quite  a bit, and are good for leftovers. The sauce does have a wonderful flavor, with the garlic, herbs, and wine, which went well with the cooked chicken. We will definitely make this again.

Chicken Cacciatore Adapted from Giada De LAurentis@foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, skinless
• 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons drained capers, we didn’t use
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil.

Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. .Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly. 

In a large heavy sauté pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers. if used,  and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.