Cacciatore-style Chicken, low fat - low salt

Low fat / low salt

Feb. 14, 2007

Easy and Tasty Chicken Thighs

2.5 lbs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 28 oz. can Crushed Tomatoes (low salt, like Rienzi)
4 large onions cut in half, then into roughly ¼” thick wedges
1 stalk of celery cut julienne style – strings removed with a peeler
4 or so smashed cloves of garlic (left whole so that they can be identified easily)
2 green peppers cut julienne style
1 carrot sliced (if you like carrots)
½ Cup of dry white wine
½ Cup or so of home made chicken stock
Olive Oil
Dried Oregano
Dried Basil
Freshly ground pepper
Paprika
Bay leaves

Add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to a warm (not too hot) pan. A high sided 10” or 12” skillet works well. Add the onions and celery. Sauté just till tender. Remove to a bowl to be added back later.

Sauté the green peppers in the same skillet. After a couple of minutes, add in the garlic. Move this mix to the same bowl as the onion mix.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan if needed and then add the chicken thighs. Only place as many thighs in at one time as can fit without over lapping. Generously season the top side of the thighs with freshly ground pepper, basil and oregano. After a few minutes, turn the thighs and then season the other side the same way. Brown the thighs on each side untill there is a nice browned color. The thighs do not have to be cooked through.

Remove the chicken to a plate to hold. Add the can of tomatoes to the same skillet. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen any flavor bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken broth to the emptied tomato can (to get all the tomato from the can) and then add to the pan. Pick some of the garlic from the vegetable bowl and add to the pan.

Simmer down for a few minutes. Add the chicken back to the pan (with the tomato) add the bay leaf (3 or 4), sprinkle about 1 or 2 Tablespoons of Paprika over and stir in then let simmer covered over low heat for about 30 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. It’s okay to simmer longer if needed.

Taste and adjust dried herbs as needed. With a curved spoon or ladle, spoon off any chicken fat which will gather at the top at the edge of the pan (will be a darker red less opaque than the rest of the sauce). This will make your sauce lighter and even lower in fat.

Just before cooking the pasta, turn up the heat (on the skillet with the chicken) to medium, add the vegetables back in and stir gently. Cover and reduce heat back to low as soon as the pan returns to a simmer.

Serve with pasta.