Dinner Tonight: Chicken Cacciatore

When I was at the grocery store last week, the in-store chef was demo-ing a whole array of yummies and one caught my eye ... or tongue, I should say. Her Chicken Cacciatore was a simple throw everything in slow cooker recipe that happened to work for me for an oven meal so I've included both procedures below. I did make a few modifications but the base recipe and inspiration are courtesy of Chef Maryanne from my local HyVee.

We had this over some cheese ravioli from the freezer but it would also be good over any pasta or rice.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 lb. chicken, cubed or cut into small pieces

1 can petite diced tomatoes (I actually only had whole Marzanos and they were great)

4-6 cloves minced garlic or 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. dried basil

1-2 tbs. flour or cornstarch to thicken

1 bell pepper, cut into matchsticks

1 medium onion, sliced

1 8 oz. package sliced mushrooms

1 cup chicken stock (oven method only)

Optional: 1-2 tbs. additional flour or cornstarch to thicken right before serving.

Slow Cooker: Layer all ingredients, as listed, in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Optional: Before serving, stir flour or cornstarch into 1/4 cup water and stir into mixture. Cook on high for a few minutes until thickened. Serve over pasta or rice.

Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Layer all ingredients, as listed, in a Dutch oven. Cover. Bake for 60 minutes. If you desire more thickening, move to a stovetop burner on high. Combine additional flour or cornstarch with 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir into the chicken dish and continue stirring until the desired thickness is reached. Serve over pasta or rice.