Chicken Cacciatore

I made this yesterday and the reviews are mixed. Hailey hated it. Kade liked the noodles and sauce, but not the chicken and peppers. Matt and Ray kinda picked at all of it. Nathan liked it and I'm lukewarm about it. I thought it was good, but it had a sweetness to it that I didn't like. The sweetness comes from the white grape juice I used instead of the white wine in the original recipe. In all fairness, the author of the recipe says that real wine makes the best sauce. I'm considering trying it again but using all chicken broth and no juice just to take away the sweetness. Anyway...I'm not chomping at the bit to make it again, but it'll probably make another appearance at our table sometime. Also, Nathan thinks he'd like it better over rice rather than pasta. (How's that for a rave review?)

Chicken Cacciatore
by Our Best Bites


1/2 c. olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
5-6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed or halved (keep it nice and big)
1 lb chicken breasts and/or thighs, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 c. white wine (or white cooking wine, apple juice, or white grape juice)
1 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. salt (omit if using white cooking wine)
1 bay leaf
1 green pepper, chopped
1 c. sliced mushrooms (or more, or if you're like me this is optional)

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic and stir frequently until onions are tender and garlic is fragrant. Remove with a slotted spoon (this is why you need to keep the onion and garlic pieces big), shake off excess oil and transfer to your blender. Increase heat to medium-high.

In a large Ziploc bag, combine flour, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken pieces, seal bag, and shake to coat. Dump the entire bag into the hot pan and stir quickly to prevent pieces from sticking together. Saute until chicken is golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

While chicken is draining, add wine, chicken broth, tomato paste, thyme, marjoram and salt to the onions and garlic in the blender. Blend until smooth. Place chicken and bay leaf in your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on high for 3.5-4 hours. When you have about 1/2 hour to go, add the chopped green pepper and the mushrooms . Cook until pepper and mushrooms are tender. Remove bay leaf and serve over pasta.

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