When you are laying in bed near midnight and hear the door alarm chime, the back door open and the sound of one of your sons returning home from work, then you hear the sound of the fridge door opening, rattling around the kitchen, the microwave door opening, shutting, opening again and then silverware clanging around, lips smacking and a statement to oneself saying "mmmmm, this is bomb", you know it must really must be, 'the bomb'.
I sometimes have serious pasta cravings and recently conjured up a Chicken Cacciatore dish but with the addition of pepperoni and Italian sausage. Cacciatore, (translated means hunter) is a rustic Italian dish, a wonderful comfort food consisting of chicken and vegetables in a red sauce, and sometimes made with wine.
My Cacciatore gets a little kick with pepperoni, Italian sausage and sweet bell peppers in addition to most of the usual ingredients found in Chicken Cacciatore. We actually call it it "Kind of Cacciatore"
I hope you enjoy it!
I hope you enjoy it!
Nancy's Cacciatore; Kind Of
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (remove casings if links)
appx 4 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 handful, about 1 to 1 1/2 cup pepperoni slices
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large red, yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped (I used
a combo of miniature peppers in all colors)
another plop of minced garlic (about 2-3 Tablespoons)
1 1b sliced mushrooms, (I like to cut them into pieces)
3 teaspoons oregano
3 teaspoons basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 28 oz can Hunts crushed tomatoes (seasoned with basil)
1 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (seasoned with garlic)
1 can Hunts tomato paste (basil, oregano, garlic seasoned)
1 tomato paste can full of water or white wine
Freshly grated parmesan
Freshly grated mozzarella
Sliced or grated provolone cheese (non smoked)
Combine first 3 ingredients and allow chicken to brown on each side. Remove chicken from pan (it will still be raw in middle) and cut into chunks, strips or bite sized pieces. Return chicken to pan and add onions and a handful of pepperoni slices. Cook until onion is limp and translucent. Add chopped bell peppers and remainder of garlic. Cook for about 3-4 minutes and then add mushrooms, spices and the remainder of pepperoni. Cook several minutes. Add tomato products and water/wine. Stir and simmer on low for a couple of hours or longer. Serve over pasta of your choice (we prefer Ziti or Penne cooked al dente). Top with a slice of Provolone and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan (you may zap it in the microwave for a minute to melt cheese). Serve hot and enjoy!
Joining:
Green transferware pasta bowls are available HERE
It sure looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Not many people know what that word means.....literally translated it means 'hunter style'. This is what a hunter would cook for himself while taking a break from hunting. He did not have tomatoes or sauce with him!!! He would shoot game for cafes and restaurants and sometimes for farmers, which he would trade for a chicken. My mom schooled us in all the old ways of Italian cooking.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, your dish looks yummie and around here it would be called chicken Parmesan.......
Looks like a really yummy, mouth-melting recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this.