Chicken Cacciatore

This is a comfort food delight.  Rich and flavorful, it makes a wonderful presentation with all of the beautiful colors of red, yellow, and green.  This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe that I've slightly tweaked.

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs
• ½ C. all purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped in strips
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ½ T. salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 C. white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 T. drained capers
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. dried basil

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
2. Dry chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour
3. Fry chicken in two batches
4. Fry off chicken skin side down first, 5 minutes on each side
5. Place chicken on a plate and cover with foil while the other batch cooks
6. Remove the second batch and cover with the foil
7. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and Creole seasoning to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, on medium heat
8. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes
9. Add the tomatoes with their juice, capers, oregano, and basil
10. Return the chicken to the pot and submerge into the cooking liquids
11. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat
12. Cook for 45 minutes
13. Remove chicken and place it back on the plate and cover with foil
14. Let the sauce boil for 3 minutes to thicken up
15. Return chicken to the pot and heat through for 5 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• This recipe can be made with all parts of the chicken.  I make it with thighs because they create the best sauce!
• I serve this with angel hair pasta.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top for an added kick.