you say tomato, I say tomato. [classic chicken cacciatore]

Last night, I was given the task of choosing and cooking a meal for dinner. I flipped through Giada de Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian cookbook for some inspiration and came across her recipe for chicken cacciatore. I had never made this dish before and suggested the recipe to my mom. She approved of my choice, but suggested I use my Uncle Tom’s recipe instead.

I used his recipe for the dish and couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. After simmering in the tomato mixture for over an hour, the chicken was tender and juicy with an abundance of flavor. The sauce had the perfect combination of spices, all of which complimented each other. When paired with orzo, jasmine rice and green beans cooked with chopped sweet red onion, the meal was even more spectacular.

We devoured the meal while taking turns answering the door for trick-or-treaters. My dog, Chloe, was even in the Halloween spirit. Yesterday, my mom and I spontaneously decided to take her to Petco to pick out a costume. Since we went to the store last-minute, the options were scarce. This, however, made the decision process much easier. We grabbed the last XXL bumble bee costume and called it a day. Chloe was definitely a hit with the trick-or-treaters. Hopefully we didn’t humiliate her too much! Photo of my dog in her costume below.

Recipe:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium sweet yellow onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

14.5 oz. can Wild Harvest Natural Organic tomatoes diced

1 can Wild Harvest Natural Organic tomatoes whole peeled

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

2 bay leaves

1/4 cup white wine

Directions:

In large pot, brown chicken in olive oil, until top and bottom of breast caramelize. Take chicken out of pot and cook two onions and garlic until transparent and slightly browned.

In a separate bowl, mix both cans of tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil, oregano and bay leaves. Pour tomato mixture into pot with cooked onions. Add the chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Stir in about 1/4 cup white wine and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered. Cut chicken into smaller pieces either in the pot or on a plate. Remove bay leaves.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice or noodles.