On Jan 18, 2:50*pm, Kate Connally > wrote:
> A few months ago (before T-day) I vowed to make Chicken
> Cacciatore as soon as I got a number of other previously
> planned dishes out of the way.
>
> The T-day turkey and subsequent dishes made from the
> leftovers (Creamy Wild Rice and Turkey Soup) lasted until
> Xmas. *Then I had to make Sauerbraten because I'd been
> craving it for several months.)
>
> So yesterday I made the C.C. *I used Lidia's recipe.
> It's unusual in that it uses white wine rather than
> red. *It also has red and yellow bell peppers in it.
> A very nice touch.
>
> I got a nice German Reisling (Spatlese) and had a glass
> of the extra wine with my dinner. *I served it with
> polenta. *This was the first time I had ever had polenta
> like this. *(The only other time I have cooked with polenta
> was a breakfast dish of bacon, eggs, and polenta baked in
> little individual casseroles.)
>
> CHICKEN CACCIATORE
> (Pollo alla Cacciatore)
>
> 2 broiler chickens (~ 2½ lb. each)
> salt
> freshly ground black pepper
> flour
> 1/4 c. vegetable oil
> 1/4 c. olive oil
> 1 sm. yellow onion, cut into 1" cubes (~ 1 c.)
> 1/2 c. dry white wine
> 1 28-oz. can Italian plum tomatoes with liquid, crushed
> 1 t. oregano
> 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2" strips (~ 1 c.)
> 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2" strips (~1 c.)
>
> Cut each chicken into 12 pieces. *With a sturdy knife or kitchen shears,
> remove the backbone by cutting along both sides. *Remove the wingtips.
> Reserve the backbone, wingtips, and giblets - except for the liver - to
> make chicken stock. *Or, if you like, cut the backbone in half crosswise
> and add it to this dish. *Place the chicken, breast side down, on a
> cutting board and cut the chicken into halves by cutting through the
> breastbone lengthwise. *Cut off the wing at the joint that connects it
> to the breast, then cut each wing in half at the joint. *Separate the
> leg from the breast. *Cut the leg in half at the joint. *Cut the breast
> in half crosswise, giving the knife a good whack when you get to the
> bone in separate the breast cleanly into halves. *Repeat with the
> remaining chicken.
>
> Season the chicken pieces generously with salt and pepper. *Dredge the
> pieces in flour, coating them lightly and tapping off excess flour. *In
> a wide (at least 12") 5-qt. braising pan, heat the vegetable oil with 2
> T. of the olive oil until a piece of chicken dipped in the oil gives off
> a very lively sizzle. *Add as many pieces of chicken to the pan as will
> fit without touching. *Do not crowd chicken; if the skillet is not wide
> enough to fit all of the chicken, brown it in batches. *Remove chicken
> pieces from the skillet as they brown, adding some of the remaining
> pieces of chicken to take their place. *Remove all chicken from the
> skillet. *Add the onion to the fat remaining in the pan, and cook,
> stirring 5 minutes. *Pour the wine into the pan, bring to a boil, and
> cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. *Add the tomatoes and
> oregano, season lightly with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. *Tuck
> the chicken into the sauce, adjust the heat to a gentle boil, and cover
> the pan. *Cook, stirring a few times, 20 minutes. *In a large skillet,
> heat the remaining 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers
> and toss until the peppers are wilted but still quite crunchy, about 8
> minutes. *Season the vegetables with salt. *Stir the peppers into the
> chicken pan. *Cook covered until the chicken and vegetables are tender,
> 10-15 minutes. *Check the level of the liquid as the chicken cooks.
> There should be enough liquid barely to cover the chicken. *If
> necessary, add small amounts of water to maintain the level of liquid as
> the chicken cooks. *Makes 6 servings. *(From Lidia’s Italian-American
> Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich.)
>
> (Notes: *I didn't use whole chickens. *I bought a 10-lb. bag of
> leg/thigh quarters at Walmart. *I sectioned them and used the
> drumsticks for the C.C. *I also added garlic, the absence of which I
> can't fathom. (It's an *Italian* recipe for cryin' out loud! *Isn't it
> against the law to make an Italian dish that doesn't contain garlic?
> Always excepting dessert, of course.) *Much as I love Lydia I don't
> agree with her in this case. *And I cut the peppers into somewhat
> smaller strips so it would be easier to eat - cut them *about 1/4" wide
> and then in half. *And I cooked them over high heat to char them
> slightly.)
>
> This dish was awesome. *As much as I loved my version of C.C. which I
> used to make 45 years ago and have now forgotten how I made it and don't
> remember what recipe I used since I haven't made it for maybe 20 years,
> this is my new go-to recipe. *Although it's a bit more work than some
> other recipes I have seen. *I really liked the peppers being cooked
> separately the way they were. *And I'm now a huge fan of polenta.
>
> Ciao
> Kate
>

I make a Hungarian Chicken Paprikash without the sour cream. It's
similar to a Chicken Cacciatore. Sometimes I make the Paprikash with
sour cream.

> --
> Kate Connally
> “If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
> Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
> Until you bite their heads off.”
> What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?
>