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Light and Easy Chicken Cacciatore
Crispy chicken bites atop a tomato-based, veggie-rich sauce are served over whole grain pasta. This healthy and satisfying classic Italian dish tastes like it’s been simmering away all day long.
Ingredients
- 4 (about 2 lbs) chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 1/2 cup white whole wheat or unbleached flour
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large celery stalks, sliced
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Optional: 1 tablespoon white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup dry red wine (or dry white wine or chicken broth)
- 1 (28 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, juice and all
- Cooked pasta, rice, or quinoa, for serving
- Optional: freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh chopped Italian parsley
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Season chicken pieces lightly with salt and pepper. Toss with a little olive oil to coat.
- Add whole wheat flour to a gallon-sized zip top bag. Add chicken pieces to the bag, close, and shake until pieces are coated.
- Sauté chicken in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until cooked through and browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium and swirl 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan. Add peppers, onion, celery, mushrooms, and garlic, and sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Season vegetables with red pepper flakes, dried oregano, dried basil, salt and pepper (to taste) while they are cooking.
- Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the vegetables and stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. (Note: You can omit this step, but the sauce will be thinner.) Add wine and tomatoes to vegetable mixture. Bring to a boil, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan, and reduce to simmer.
- Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced some and smells fragrant. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Add chicken pieces back into the sauce (or place them on top of pasta and add sauce over the top on each individual plate).
- Serve over whole grain pasta or brown rice with some fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped Italian parsley on top.
Freeze For Later: Follow steps 1-6. Let sauce cool, then stir in the chicken. Place in a freezer bag or container, making sure to squeeze out any air and seal tightly. Label and freeze for up to 3 months. Prepare From Frozen: Thaw the sauce and chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Warm in a medium saucepan over low heat on the stovetop, stirring regularly. Serve as directed in step 8.