Almost chicken cacciatore

I call this my almost chicken cacciatore, firstly because it is really just my twist on a chicken cacciatore and secondly because the original dish usually has olives added which I didn't have on hand.



I find one pot dishes like this to be really quick and delicious dinners. It has all the protein and vegetables in it already so you only need the addition of steamed rice or crusty bread for a complete meal.


I also like using chicken drumsticks because I think that we have gone away from using meat on the bone a lot of the time yet it has so much more flavour. If the skin bothers you, it's easy enough to remove. This is also a recipe that can be made in large quatities to feed a crowd if needed.

The majority of the time I am just cooking for Mr Shady Pine and I, so I cook up a big batch of this and freeze it into portions for evenings when I don't have the time or inclination to cook dinner. In fact I've often been saved by dishes I had cooked and stashed away in the freezer for later.

What is your favourite one pot dish?



Almost Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 Tbs olive oil
8 chicken drumsticks
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
1 small onion, diced
3 sticks celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
½ red capsicum, sliced
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbs raw sugar
400 gm can chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
¼ cup chopped parsley

1. In a heavy bottomed pot or pan, heat the olive oil and brown the chicken drumsticks in batches if necessary. Remove chicken from the pan.
2. Add onions, garlic, celery, carrots and capsicum and sauté over medium heat until onions are transparent. Stir in the white wine vinegar.
3. Add dried herbs and tomato paste and fry for 1 minute.
4. Return the chicken and any juices back to the pan.
5. Add chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, sugar and S&P to taste.
6. Cover and simmer over low heat for approx 40 minutes until chicken is tender. At the end of the cooking time, stir in the parsley.
7. Serve with steamed rice.