Before I tell you about this dish, I need to let you in on a handy little secret I learned from a friend recently. I love friends! And that little secret is………..CROCK POT LINERS!!!! Ta Da! I have had no problem locating these just in my local Wal Mart. They make clean up SO MUCH easier. Try them. You’ll be addicted.
Now, back to Chicken Cacciatore. I absolutely love this dish. It is a crock pot meal and it easily assemble in about 20 minutes. Great for those busy days or for Sundays when you have late church. I think of this as Italian comfort food–the equivalent to roast, mashed potatoes & gravy. The sauce is incredibly rich, full of vitamins, low-fat, and goes perfectly with a mashed potato-like mound of Italian polenta. The family loves this dish, except The Youngest, who is diametrically opposed to peppers of any kind in anything. We hope she outgrows it……
4-5 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
6 ounces sliced mushrooms (fresh)
1 green pepper, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (or heaping T. refrigerated garlic)
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon celery seed (or celery salt–reduce salt if using)
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup dry white wine (or apple cider or white grape juice)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Place onions in bottom of crock pot. Add frozen chicken.
Stir all the other ingredients together. Pour over chicken.
Cook on low heat 5 to 6 hours or high heat for about 3 to 4 hours.
Serve over pasta or Polenta.
Posted on September 7, 2011
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