Chicken Cacciatore

I've always wanted to try Chicken Cacciatore. But I think I became even more inspired to try to make this when I saw Kate, of Jon & Kate plus 8, make this for her brood of 8 kids. Her kids seemed to really like it, so I thought of making it for my daughter.

This recipe came from Stacy, my friend from work (Thanks Stacy!). When I first looked at the recipe when she printed it out for me, I was worried that there wasn't enough salt in the sauce. But she assured me that seasoning the chicken was enough flavoring for the whole dish. And she was right! It was so tasty and so flavorful. It kind of reminds me of the filipino Afritada, which is a tomato-based chicken stew. I modified the recipe a bit by adding some red bell peppers in it, which is what I was accustomed to seeing in many chicken cacciatore dishes. Hubby liked it and my daughter definitely liked it. She actually asked for seconds! You can serve this with white rice or pasta. I served it with both - I ate it with pasta, while hubby and daughter ate theirs with rice.

3 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (rinsed and patted dry)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes (or canned plum tomatoes)

1) Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and cook until translucent. Push onions to the side. Add garlic and chicken, skin-side down. Cook until skin is golden brown. Turn chicken over and brown the other side. Season both sides of the chicken with a good amount of salt and pepper while browning.

2) Add wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add tomatoes. Lower the heat and cover the skillet with the lid slightly ajar.

3) Cook the chicken in the simmering liquid, turning and basting from time to time, until the chicken is tender, about 40 minutes.

If the stew begins to dry out, add a few tablespoons of water.