Chicken Cacciatore

My daughter asked for my tried and true chicken cacciatore recipe. The sauce is rather flavorful with a touch of capers, lemon zest, white wine and vinegar. Here below is the recipe.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teasp salt
¼ teasp ground pepper
3 lbs chicken parts, rinsed and dried
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch dice
1 14 ½ ounce can whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes, crushed, with juice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 ounces mushrooms, preferably short-stem, wiped clean with a damp paper towel, trimmed, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons dry white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
½ cup pitted oil-cured black olives
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the mixture, shaking off excess flour.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Cook chicken in batches, about 5 minutes per batch, turning until pieces are browned evenly. Transfer the browned chicken to a medium bowl and reserve until ready to use.
4. Reduce heat to low and add the garlic, shallots, bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato paste, and mushrooms. Then add the wine, vinegar, and basil, and cover. Stirring occasionally, cook vegetables for about 15 minutes or until just tender. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the olives, capers, lemon zest, and reserved chicken.
5. Transfer the mixture to a 3 to 4-quart baking dish and bake, covered, for 1 hour or until chicken juices run clear when chicken is pierced in thickest part.