Chicken Cacciatore

​Like any other Italian staple dish, there are hundreds of variations to this recipe. “Cacciatore” means “hunter” in Italian and this dish is said to have been developed by the hunters (their wives really!) who would go in the fields, hunt their meal and bring their catch home to their wives to prepare for lunch. Thus, chicken hunter-style was born. Some cooks add wine; I did not in this version but have done so in the past. Olives and mushrooms are also sometimes added, I did not here but listed them in the ingredients as options, as you might want to add them when you prepare this at home for your family. 

Ingredients
1 chicken cut into 8-10 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion – thinly sliced
2-3 garlic gloves - minced
½ sweet red pepper – diced
1 -2 fresh tomatoes – diced
1-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1-2 tablespoons fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1-2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 -2 sprigs fresh rosemary
 
Optional:
12 pitted olives of your choice
8 oz of diced mushrooms
 
Directions:
1) Prepare your herbs and add-ons by dicing up your onion, garlic, pepper, tomatoes, parsley & basil   and place them in a bowl and set aside.

2) Place your chicken and oil in a large pan and place it on the stove over medium heat. Allow the chicken and oil to simmer without any other ingredients for a few minutes.

​3) After a few minutes, add your ingredients from your bowl plus the salt, bay leaves, oregano and rosemary.  (Also add olives and mushrooms if using.) Allow these to simmer for about 15 minutes over medium heat. About 15 minutes into the cooking process, it will start to get dry, so add about 1 cup of water and continue the cooking process until the chicken is fully cooked and some of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes, longer if your chicken pieces are large. 

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