CHICKEN CACCIATORE

By Silvermama

Roasted tomatoes give this dish a lot of rich flavor, but if you're short on time, you can substitute the tomatoes with your favorite prepared sauce. I like to top it off with fresh mozerella about five minutes before serving.

Ingredients

• 3 large chicken breasts w/bones and skin,
• halved cross-ways
• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, cored and
• thinly sliced
• 6-7 boiling onions, 2 inches in diameter halved
• 8-10 oz. mushrooms, quartered or "chunked"
• 1/3 cup sliced or chopped fresh garlic
• 1/4 packed cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil,
• blotted
• 12 green olives w/pimentoes, halved or several capers
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 8-10 fresh basil leaves, sliced lengthwise
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup burgundy or red wine
• 1 Tbs olive oil for drizzling
• 2 Tbs olive oil for sauteing
• Salt/Pepper to Taste
• Dried Italian Seasoning to Taste

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare sauce: Cut tomatoes in half and place in large shallow glass baking dish (or pan). Lightly salt and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Drizzle w/1 tbs olive oil and bake at 425 for approx 25-30 min. Remove and set aside to cool. When cooled, add the tomatoes and juices to food processor and process until course; you will want the sauce to be a little chunky.
Salt and pepper chicken; sprinkle with Italian Seasoning on both sides. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet over med-hi. Saute chicken skin side down for approx 4 min. Turn over and saute approx 4 more minutes. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels. In same skillet, saute onion, garlic and peppers for approx 5 minutes. Add mushroom and saute approx 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, bay leaf, sundried tomatoes and olives. Stir until incorporated and add chicken pieces. Cover and simmer 30-35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. When cooked thru, stir in fresh basil and any additional seasonings to taste. Serve over angle hair pasta or fresh sauted spinach.