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Authentic Italian Cooking with Jag2112 - Part IV - Classic Chicken CacciatoreAug 09 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line A moderately spicy chicken dish that's as versatile as a good old fashion stew...
Happy Friday, Class. Welcome again to the online cooking show Authentic Italian Cooking with Jag2112 A 5-part series on the simple techniques of preparing, serving and enjoying some classic, flavorful Italian dishes that are sure to be a big hit with your family and friends. For earlier segments of this series, see the 'links' below: Part I: Pasta Sauce with Meatballs http://www.epinions.com/content_2784469124 Part II: Chicken Francaise with a Twist: http://www.epinions.com/content_2786500740 Part III: Parmigiana Mania: http://www.epinions.com/content_2794365060 And for this segment, we're going to be discussing a very traditional, often misunderstood meal called Chicken Cacciatore. I've seen this dish prepared in a variety of ways - and perhaps that is one of the advantages of the dish - its flexibility. In fact, you can consider this dish the Italian equivalent of a stew, where any and all ingredients are up to the taste of the chef. Keep that in mind when preparing this, because as you'll see, there are a lot of directions you can take this dish in that may very well net some incredible results. And by far, this is one of the easier dishes to prepare and serve. So, time to take hold of a sturdy carving knife, adjust your chef's hat, and get ready to create some mesmerizing aromas. Chicken Cacciatore Required Ingredients 3 Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breasts 1 16 oz can of Peeled Plum Tomatoes or Crushed Tomatoes (Red Pack Preferred) 1 Yellow Onion Fresh Crushed Garlic Garlic Powder White Wine Fresh or Frozen Carrots Fresh or Frozen Peas Crushed Red Pepper Olive Oil Parmigiana Cheese Oregano Salt Pepper Required Equipment Large Frying Pan The first step, and one that can be altered to suit your own tastes, is the preparation of the chicken. Typically, to achieve the most flavor, I dice my chicken breasts into small, well 'dice' size pieces. Uniformity isn't important here, but you want to avoid large pieces of chicken as well. Some people prefer to leave the chicken breast whole, or in large strips. This is fine, but the cooking time will be longer and the chicken may not fully absorb all of the flavors in such large pieces. Next, chop your onion into small pieces as well, and slice your carrots (about 1 full sized carrot) into 1/4 inch slivers. Next, heat about 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil in your frying pan over a medium-high flame. Once the oil is ready, add your chopped onions and some salt and pepper and begin sautéing. After a few minutes, add in your chicken pieces and begin sautéing them with the onions. After about one minute, add in your fresh crushed garlic (2 or more cloves, as you like). Cook your chicken for several minutes until each piece is a light, golden brown. At that point, pour in about 1/2 of a cup of white wine. Make sure your flame is still medium-high. Continue cooking and stirring the chicken until the majority of the wine has been cooked away. Once you're at this point, add the can of tomatoes and lower your heat to medium. If you're using whole plumb tomatoes, take a plastic knife and begin cutting them up right in the frying pan. Keep doing this, mixing along the way, until there are few, if any, large pieces of the tomatoes left. By now, the entire mixture should be taking on a nice, deep red color. Add in your sliced carrots, a 1/2 cup of peas, 1/4 of grated Parmigiana Cheese, and sprinkle with some garlic powder. Stir completely to incorporate all of the ingredients. Then, sprinkle about a half a tablespoon of the crushed red pepper on top of the mixture and dust the top with a small amount of oregano. Do not stir in these ingredients. Cover the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, stir the mixture completely and reduce the heat to low. At this point, the mixture should be simmering, which is as hot as you want it to get. Over the next 30 minutes, stir the mixture on a 5 minute interval. About 15 minutes into the cooking process, test the sauce for flavor. As we did when making the pasta sauce, check for an orange tint around the edges of a spoon full of sauce. If the sauce appears to be completely red, add a tablespoon of oil. If the sauce tastes a little bitter, add some salt and some more Parmigiana cheese. In the mean time, begin cooking some white rice or pasta (angel hair pasta works nicely with this dish). After the 30 minutes are up, and your house is filled with the delicious aroma, turn off the heat, but do not remove the frying pan from the stove top. Using a slotted spoon, heap a large portion of the cacciatore on top of your rice or pasta filled plate. Surround the plate with a sprinkle of parsley and Parmigiana cheese. Serve immediately. Or, if you prefer, in a large serving bowl, deposit the entire contents of the frying pan and mix together with one pound of pasta and serve. Now, wasn't that easy? When your family makes a fuss, make sure they don't know just how simple it really was. I hope you enjoy this classic Italian dish. Look for the final segment in this series next week. Thanks for reading everyone. Mangia Bene! -John  |
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