The other day, I was at the markets and these golden cherry tomatoes jumped out at me. They just looked too good to leave there, so I purchased them and came home to see what I had in my cupboard to turn them into a meal {it appears that I have a lot of stuff in my cupboard, even though I shop to a list each week}.
I found about a cup of mushrooms and some beautiful, soft lemon thyme, that a friend had brought from their garden, in my fridge. I also found some chicken thighs in my freezer.
I added these items to the onions, tinned tomatoes {from the cupboard} and white wine that was sitting on my bench top {don’t ask me why it wasn’t finished earlier in the week}, and I had all the ingredients required to knock out a killer chicken cacciatore.
Some people serve their chicken cacciatore with pasta, or rice, or mashed potato – but I really felt like this dish was an entire meal in itself.
CHICKEN CACCIATORE
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
680g boneless skinless chicken thighs (6 to 8)
85g sliced bacon, sliced
360g mushrooms, sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch of lemon thyme sprigs
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red chilli flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup of fresh cherry tomatoes
2 cans of crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat the olive in a large saucepan, then add the chicken, bacon, onions and garlic to brown. Add the mushrooms, lemon thyme, chili and cherry tomatoes to the pan and toss for a minute or two before adding the wine {to deglaze the saucepan}.
Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, and olives to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Gently simmer uncovered until the tomatoes melt into the sauce and the sauce thickens slightly, about 40 minutes.
Remove the thyme stems and stir in the parmesan and basil before serving.
Do you have a chicken cacciatore recipe? Do you have a favourite italian meal? Where have you been drawing your meal inspiration from lately?
