For many years, The Joy of Cooking was my go-to cooking Bible. It was the first real cookbook I owned. Nowadays, I don’t refer to it too often but it’s where I go when I want to make chicken cacciatore, a real Italian comfort dish. It’s a lovely stew of chicken with tomatoes, wine and mushrooms. Serve it with fresh pasta. It’s great left over too. I’ve edited the recipe only slightly. True confession: I forgot to take a photo the last time I made it. This one, by Dan Gritzer via Flickr Creative Commons, looks pretty close to my version.
Ingredients:
4 lb. chicken pieces
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped shallots (or onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp. salt (less if using kosher chicken)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 to 1 cup sliced mushrooms
Directions:
Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, and shake off excess.
In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and saute the chicken with the shallots or onions until golden brown.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for about an hour or until tender.
Serves 6
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