Domesticity Nouveau

Monday, October 24, 2011

Chicken Cacciatore

When you know you are going to be gone all day and want to come home to a hearty warm meal, chicken cacciatore is perfect for the slow cooker.  You can throw it together the night before and then start it cooking as you head out the door in the morning.

For the most part, I think cooking with fresh ingredients is always best, but occasionally there are benefits in using dried ingredients.  When I normally make this recipe, I use only dried vegetables.  When I wanted to make this batch, all I had was fresh.  The big difference was the amount of liquid that resulted in using the fresh versus dried.  This recipe is still hugely flavorful with fresh, but the sauce is a little thinner.  The chicken releases a lot of broth and the dried vegetables soak it up, keeping the sauce thick.  With the fresh vegetables, extra moisture is released as they cook which makes for a thinner sauce.  Both taste excellent, it is just a matter of preference.

The other benefit to using the dried vegetables is that I can mix up little packages ahead of time and just pull one from the cupboard when I want to pull this slow cooker meal together.  When you go to the effort to measure out the ingredients for one recipe, it can be of benefit to take an extra moment and measure out a few ready-made packets to save time later.

Listed below are the two versions, one with fresh ingredients and one with the dried ingredients.

Chicken Cacciatore


Ingredients - fresh
1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
8 oz mushrooms, quartered
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rough chop
2 Tbsp capers
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Instructions
Place chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker.   Combine onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, olives and capers and distribute over chicken.  Mix together tomato paste, diced tomatoes, Italian herb seasoning, crushed red peppers, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Pour over vegetables and chicken.  Tuck in 2 bay leaves.  Cook on low 6-8 hours, high 4-6.  Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and serve.

Ingredients - make ahead packets (preferred recipe)
1/3 cup dried minced onion
1 cup dried mushroom pieces
1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
2 Tbsp dried celery
1/4 cup dried red/green bell pepper
1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves

Add to:
1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, rough chop
2 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Instructions
Make as many seasoning packets as desired, store in a cool, dry, dark place until ready to use.  Place chicken pieces in bottom of slow cooker.   Mix together tomato paste, diced tomatoes, olives, capers  and vinegar.  Add seasoning packet to tomato mixture and mix well.  Pour over chicken, cook on low 6-8 hours, high 4-6.  Garnish with fresh grated parmesan and serve.

Who has questions?

Do I have to use a whole chicken in pieces?
Feel free to use whatever chicken pieces you would prefer, you’ll need about 3-4 pounds of pieces.  I prefer to use bone in pieces because the meat is more flavorful when cooked on the bone and you get some of those good minerals and whatnots from the bones in your sauce.  If you prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts, go for it.  You can use whole chicken thighs or drumsticks or whatever pieces you have handy.

Why do I have to mix the cans of tomatoes together?  Can’t I just dump it in?
The tomato paste is what provides the deep tomato flavor in this recipe without excessive moisture.  It is super thick and because of that, needs to be thinned down by the liquid from the diced tomatoes so that its loveliness can be shared equally.

I like the idea of having packets ready to go in the cupboard.  Where can I find the ingredients to make them?
I have found everything but the dried mushrooms at Penzeys Spices.  The dried mushrooms I have found at Costco, some higher-end markets, the farmer’s market, and Amazon.  You can even dry your own with a food dehydrator.  Remember that different mushrooms have different flavors, for example, dried shitake mushrooms can add an Asian flavor.  Look for dried white mushrooms, or dried portabella, or a mix.


I'm going to be gone longer than the recipe cooks for, what can I do?
I normally make this recipe up the night before and stash it in the fridge.  This slows down the cooking by 1-2 hours on high and 2-3 hours on low.


I don't have to brown the meat?
Browning is optional, but it does add another dimension to the finished dish.  If you are going to be making this the night ahead, do not brown your chicken.  Partially cooked meat is a safety concern.  If you do decide to brown your meat, make sure you are proceeding with the slow cooker straight away to finish the cooking.

Can I use other olives?
Sure, use whatever type of olives you like or a mixture.  I have seen recipes that call for green olives and recipes that call for no olives (how horrid! Gasp!)  If you prefer the black olives from a can that fit perfectly on finger tips, use those.  The green and kalamata olives add a certain depth from their pickled flavor, the same way the capers add a little something special.

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