Chicken Cacciatore

Made some chicken cacciatore last night and it came out pretty good. Wanted to share the recipe:

1 1/2 lbs. of chicken thighs
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 zucchini (yellow or green), diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 white mushrooms, sliced
1 28oz can of (whole or diced) tomatoes
1/2 cup of red wine
Italian seasoning
Olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
Red pepper flakes

In a large frying pan, coat the bottom with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and set the stove at medium heat. Place the chicken into pan and sprinkle it with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Let the skin brown on both sides then remove from pan and set it aside.

In a large pot, add another 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the red and green bell peppers and saute them for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the zucchini, cook for 2 minutes, then add the onion and garlic and let them cook for another 2 minutes. Make sure to keep stirring. Finally add the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste, then pour in the wine. Let the wine reduce (evaporate) by half, then place the chicken into the pot. Add the tomatoes* and red pepper flakes to taste. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

You can serve it over pasta such as egg noodles, bowtie, or linguine, or over polenta.

Makes 4 servings.

*Note: if using whole tomatoes, you'll need to squish them by hand. Make sure your hands are inside the pot as they can make quite a mess. My personal favorite are whole San Marzano tomatoes.