Chicken Cacciatora

With the holiday season in full swing, and winter all settled in, comfort food becomes the style of the day.  I have  a bit of time off work right now, so I'm try to catch up on all sorts of things that have been neglected, including this blog.  I'm also trying to seek out recipes I haven't tried before in an effort to use up some of the frozen foods I have in my deep freeze. 

This evening's dish, is Chicken Cacciatora (I've also seen it spelled Cacciatore).  I looked through several books and it appears, that like so many recipes, this one has numerous version.  Two distince version reign  - a non-tomato, white wine based version which seems to be from Northern Italy and a soutern version that I have to presume is southern Italy. 

I've provided the way I prepared the recipe below, so I won't go into detail here.  I opted for a version with tomatoes, and took some liberties based on the various recipes I gandered at.  It's a lovely dish that smells great cooking, and as it simmers fills your house withe warmth in its own right.  The taste is incredible - with tangy tomatos, a slight heat, and moist chicken. 

I served over homemade tagiatelle which was an extra special treat.

Chicken Cacciatora

2 tsp olive oil
5-6 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 large onion diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
28 oz can San Marzano tomaotes
Fresh ground pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or less for less heat)
2 tsp sugar

Heat the oil on the cooktop in a medium-size pot or casserole dish.  Add the chicken and saute for 5-10 minutes until browned.  Add the red pepper, onion and mushroom and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add the wine and saute 5 minutes. 
Add the stock and tomatoes (if using whole tomatoes, crush them with your hand).  Add the seasonsings and let simmer for 30-60 minutes.