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Dinner for a Dollar: Chicken Cacciatore

Can you make dinner for $1 a plate? You betcha.

For today's Dinner for a Dollar, we're making chicken cacciatore, a homey, filling dish served over pasta or rice.

Cacciatoria is Italian for "hunter," and alla cacciatoria refers to dishes prepared "huntsman style," which is stewed with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and wine.

This recipe is a guide, not a dictate, because it's easily stretched by adding more of whatever ingredients are on sale. For instance, I got an 8-ounce package of mushrooms on sale for 99 cents, so I could have added more if we had to set an extra plate at the table.

I used a combination of chicken thighs and breasts, but it would be cheaper to use only thighs. I found boneless chicken thighs on sale, but often your best deal is to buy a whole, cut-up chicken.

Some cooks serve the chicken pieces whole, but to stretch the recipe, it's best to shred or dice the meat. To streamline preparation, I oven-roasted the chicken the day before, then shredded the cooked chicken and added it to the pot near the end of the cooking time. You can use either white or red wine.

Cacciatore is even more affordable in the summer, when fresh tomatoes and bell peppers are cheap at the market or free from the garden.

Chicken Cacciatore

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<li>

4 chicken thighs</li>

<li>

1 chicken breast</li>

<li>

2 onions, sliced </li>

<li>

6 ounces mushrooms, thickly sliced</li>

<li>

1 green pepper, sliced</li>

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3 cloves garlic, minced fine</li>

<li>

1 (28-ounce) can petite dice tomatoes</li>

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1&#8260;2 cup wine</li>

<li>

1 teaspoon dried oregano</li>

</ul>

Salt and pepper the chicken pieces. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet and brown chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.

Add onions to pan with more oil if necessary and saut&#233; until translucent. Add garlic and peppers and mushrooms, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes, until vegetables have softened. Add wine, simmer until it reduces, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, if not using boneless chicken, remove the bone. Cut or shred chicken and add to sauce. Cook until chicken is done. Serve over rice or spaghetti sprinkled with additional oregano.