CHICKEN CACCIATORE

You can't have too many "go-to" chicken recipes. Depending on what kind of chicken I have in the freezer, I make this with chicken pieces with the bone-in and sometimes with boneless chicken breasts. Bone-in chicken delivers more flavor but boneless is wonderful in this robust flavored dish!!!!

Ingredients:(serves about 4)

1 chicken roaster cut into pieces or 4 boneless breasts

1/2 cup flour

8 tbl olive oil

3 large chopped shallots

2 tbl minced garlic

1 red pepper cut into thin strips

1 green pepper cut into thin strips

1/2 cup dry vermouth

15-20 oz Crushed San Marzano tomatoes

1/2 cup oil cured black or kalamata olives halved

1 tbl fresh chopped basil

1 bay leaf

salt

pepper

Wash the chicken pieces and pat dry. Combine flour, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan and add chicken pieces skin side down and brown on both sides and remove and set aside. Pour off most of the cooking liquid except for about 3 tablespoons. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about a minute. Add peppers and cook until barely tender. Add vermouth and turn heat to high and cook until liquid reduces by half.

Place chicken back in the pan, and spoon most of the pepper-onion mixture on top of the chicken pieces. Add tomatoes, basil and bay leaf. Cover the pan and turn heat to low and cook basting frequently for 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and put in a 200 degree oven while you cook the sauce. Take out the bay leaf and turn heat to high. Cook sauce stirring constantly until thickened - about 10 minutes. Stir in the olives and cook for another couple minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

This dish is great with pasta, potatoes or even a nice rice dish. This chicken makes great leftovers....the flavors are wonderful!

ENJOY!