Unorthodox Chicken Cacciatore @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I have had this dish several times in one of my favorite Key West restaurants, Bel Mare. Hayley Snow’s mother and stepfather, Sam, make it for a crowd at their home in A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. Since the visiting Scottish scone sisters are such excellent cooks and bakers, they think they’ll be safer making something Italian rather than Scottish themed. This recipe is flexible so you can add more or less of what you like or don’t care for. I think the the peppers and olives add a lot to the flavor though I know they are probably not traditional.

Ingredients 

1 pound Cremini or other mushrooms

One red pepper

One green pepper

One red onion

Two garlic cloves.

Half a large jar of pimentos

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

14 oz diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup red wine

1/3 cup olives

Fresh basil and parsley 

1 Tbsp honey

3 pounds or so chicken thighs or tenders

Slice the peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Sauté the peppers and onions until soft and beginning to brown, then add the sliced mushrooms, and the two cloves of garlic, minced. Once the vegetables are softened, add 1/4 cup red wine, bring to a boil and scrape up the brown bits. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, the chicken broth and simmer until the sauce is thick. Taste to see if it needs salt. Stir in the basil, the parsley, the jarred red peppers, honey, and the olives, and continue to simmer. (Could also add a tablespoon of capers!)

Meanwhile, dip the chicken pieces in egg and then flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, and sauté until beginning to brown in a pan with olive oil. Add the browned chicken to the simmering sauce.

Once the sauce is thick and delicious and the chicken cooked through, serve it over spaghetti or polenta, with something green like peas or spinach. We liked it both ways, but the polenta was our favorite.

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. If you’re all caught up, try Lucy’s first women’s fiction title, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS.

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