Foodie Tuesday – Chicken, Veg and Nut Cacciatore

Cacciatore

Welcome back to our guest foodie blogger, Michelle from The Source Bulk Foods Lane Cove. In her continuing quest to share some family-friendly recipes, she introduces us to a twist on the old Chicken Cacciatore.

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Chicken, Veg and Nut Cacciatore

I was sitting on the ferry on a cold but gorgeously crisp morning thinking how lucky I was to live in such a beautiful city as Sydney whilst flipping through Good Food in the Herald for dinner inspiration – and there it was, Neil Perry’s Chicken Cacciatore served on a bed of soft polenta.

The recipe would be served with some tasty sides, but I prefer to just make one big hearty dish so Neil’s Cacciatore soon had some colourful veggies from the fridge and soaked and smashed almonds – and in just over 40min a rich, hearty, winter-warmer was on the table.

And one of my daughters said breathlessly ‘Wow Mum, this is like a special weekend meal and its only Wednesday night!” – I was one very happy, and slightly proud Mum!

Ingredients I doubled everything to make a great big feast to last 2 nights

  • 6 free-range chicken legs, cut into thigh and drumstick (or 8 drumsticks)
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 medium brown onions, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1½ cups dry white wine (I used Chinese Cooking Wine – a little thing I often do to add a bit of subtle sweetness)
  • 400g can whole tomatoes, chopped with juices
  • 1½ cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup black olives (I used green as they were in the pantry)
  • Mixed veggies from the fridge (I used 4 carrots roughly diced, 2 handfuls of green beans and 4 sticks of celery roughly diced)
  • Large handful of raw almonds soaked whilst everything simmers away
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup Polenta

 

Method

  1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium to high heat. Add onions, garlic and sea salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until soft. Remove onions from the pan, add the chicken and fry, turning pieces to brown evenly.

  2. Put the onions back in, add wine and cook until wine reduces to a couple of tablespoons.

  3. Add tomatoes with their juice, chicken stock, olives, bay leaf and rosemary. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes. At the 15 minute mark add the carrot and celery and with about 5min to go add the beans and almonds.

  4. Whilst the chicken is simmering, grease a medium pot and add a litre of water. When it comes to the boil add the polenta and stir continuously for 15-20min on medium-low heat until it tastes cooked when tested. Add a tablespoon of oil to keep it from setting.

  5. The chicken should be cooked but not falling off the bone, and the sauce should have thickened. Check the seasoning, add a good grind of pepper and fold the vinegar through.

  6. Serve the chicken on a bed of polenta, add a good ladle of the veggie sauce over the top, sprinkle with parsley and ENJOY!

Thank you, Michelle for the recipe. We can’t wait to see your family friendly recipes. Michelle works full time and has two teenagers, so she is all about quick, easy and nutritious recipes. She regularly brings in some of her home cooked treats for customers to nibble on while shopping at The Source Bulk Foods Lane Cove.

source bulk foods

Address: Shop 12 & 13 Lane Cove Market Square, 24-28 Burns Bay Road (next door to Trendsetter Travel)
Phone(02) 9420 5055
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