Simple Chicken Cacciatore – Gluten Free Suggestions

Simple usually means delicious and at my home, it’s the simplest dishes that we enjoy the most. Tonight, I needed something simple. It is way to hot for me to be in the kitchen long (even with the a/c on, it is usually 88 F). I decided to do a simplistic version of Chicken Cacciatore.

Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian and Pollo alla Cacciatore “Hunter-styled Chicken.” Usually a cacciatore is a braised chicken cooked with tomatoes, onions, herbs, bell pepper and wine. Using what I had on hand, this dish cooked in about 30 – 35 minutes from prep to serving. In the future, I am probably going to season up the chicken before frying but even as is, the dish was flavorful. My husband even enjoyed the fact that there wasn’t cheese in this dish, although a few shakes of Parmesan cheese would not have hurt. 🙂

Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

Flour *can be omitted if gluten intolerant

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each piece cut in half

1-2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon of garlic, chopped

2 1/4 cups pasta sauce

(I had made sauce and frozen it, previously)

1-2 zucchini, sliced

Basil (optional)

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large frying pan that has a lid, medium heat
2. Coat chicken pieces in flour, shaking off excess. (Skip step if gluten intolerant)
3. Add garlic and the floured chicken pieces into the pan.
4. Brown all the chicken pieces (does not have to be fully cooked)
5. Once browned, remove any excess butter.
6. Spread sauce over all the chicken pieces
7. Place zucchini slices, decoratively over sauce and cover pan with a lid.
8. Cook for about 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve over Angel hair pasta. *Gluten free suggestion: there are gluten-free pastas or breads that would make a wonderful side dish. This was good enough to eat without pasta