Most Chicken Cacciatore dishes are saturated with fat and oil. My recipe is much healthier, using only a small amount of heart-healthy oil and tons of vegetables.    

This is a rich and hearty meal that will leave you completely satisfied.

 

Healthy Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tbsp canola oil

1 tbsp olive oil

One 8-oz package of button mushrooms, sliced

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and cut into large dice

1 small onion, cut into large dice

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup plus 2 tbsp dry white wine, such as chardonnay

2 cups prepared marinara sauce

1/2 cup torn basil

1 tbsp cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.      Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. 

2.      Remove all visible fat from the chicken thighs and season liberally with salt and pepper.

3.      Add canola oil to heated dutch oven and brown the chicken thighs on both sides.  Transfer browned chicken to a plate.

4.      Add olive oil to the dutch oven, and sauté the onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic over medium-low heat.

5.      When vegetables have softened, add 1 cup of wine to the dutch oven.  As the wine is reducing, use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits, or “fond”, from the bottom of the pan.  This will add extra flavor to your dish.

6.      When the wine has reduced by half, add the marinara sauce and stir to combine.  Then add the browned chicken and juices to the pot.  Be sure to submerge each piece of chicken in the sauce.

7.      Slowly simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. 

8.      To thicken the sauce, mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of wine in a small bowl.  Add this thickening mixture, or “slurry”, to the chicken cacciatore off the heat and stir well to avoid lumps.

9.      Serve over whole-wheat pasta or brown rice.

10.  Enjoy!

La Bonne Vie!
~Jen