Chicken Cacciatore

I'm surprised it's taken me this long to talk about Chicken Cacciatore because it's one of my favorite simple go-to meals on nights when I want minimal effort with maximum flavour. This dish is low maintenance, super economical and by utilizing a whole chicken you have something to please everyone whether they be a leg, thigh or breast fan. I myself am a thigh girl and my husband is also a thigh man so I often make this with all thighs when just cooking for the two of us.

In Italian, cacciatore means "hunter" so traditionally this was a meal prepared for husbands after a long day of hunting. Things may have changed since the inception of chicken cacciatore but one thing remains the same; it's a really satisfying and delicious meal whether you've spent the day stuck in the office, or camped out in the woods.

Recipe:
1 4lb chicken or 4lbs of your favorite chicken pieces
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 medium white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups button mushrooms, qaurtered
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup flour for dredging
olive oil for frying (about 2 tablespoons)

Directions:
1. Coat the bottom of a large heavy bottomed saute pan with olive oil. Heat to medium heat. Dredge the chicken pieces with flour and shake off excess. Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding the pan, place the chicken pieces in the hot oil skin side down. Fry until the chicken is browned about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and fry another 4-5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
2. Reduce the heat to low-medium and add the onions. Saute the onions until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute another 6-7 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and increase heat to medium-high. Simmer the mixture until the wine has been almost entirely absorbed by the mushrooms, about 5-6 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn to coat the pieces with the sauce. Partially cover the pan and simmer 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and is nice and tender. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stir in the chopped parsley and serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

Serves 6.