Gluten Free Chicken Cacciatore

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a great pi day yesterday! This weekend is St. Patrick's Day, and to celebrate my Irish roots I'm posting a recipe based on my...Italian roots. OK, so maybe my cravings for Italian food outweighed my craving for Irish, but this is definitely a recipe worth eating.

Traditionally, chicken cacciatore is a chicken dish prepared by braising chicken in a tomato sauce. First the chicken is quick seared in an oiled pan, and then removed to prepare the tomato sauce. The tomato sauce normally includes a base of onion, garlic, bell peppers, red wine and tomato. Once the sauce has cooked for a bit, the chicken is added back and braised on a lower heat. The result is a beautifully rich tomato sauce and tender, juicy chicken breasts.

Here's how my recipe deviates from some of the ones I've seen out on the internet. To make it gluten free, I don't dust the chicken in any type of flour before searing. It's simply seasoned with some salt and pepper and seared in a hot pan. Also, I like to add some portabello mushrooms in my sauce for some added texture and flavor. The other way I like to deviate is to use white wine instead of red, I prefer the lightness that the white wine brings to the sauce. I hope you guys try this! It's a recipe I'm proud of, nothing like eating chicken you can shred with a fork!

Gluten Free Chicken Cacciatore


A recipe for tender chicken braised in a tomato wine sauce. Filled with bell peppers and mushrooms, best served with gluten free pasta.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Servings: 6 chicken breasts
Ingredients
6 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 large portobello mushroom caps
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 8oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5oz can chopped tomatoes
1 bayleaf
2 tsp chopped basil
2 tsp chopped thyme

Steps
In a large, 2-3 inch deep sautee pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Cook the breasts in the pan, about 4 minutes on each side, flipping once in between. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the bell pepper, onion, mushroom, and garlic to the pan, and reduce to medium heat. Sautee for 5 minutes, and then add the wine and paste. Cook on medium for 5 minutes. and then add the sauce, tomatoes, bayleaf, basil, and thyme. Cook on medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Reduce to medium heat, and add the chicken and any juice back to the sauce. Ensure that both sides of the chicken are coated in the sauce, and cover. Cook at medium heat for 20 minutes, then reduce to medium low for another 20.

Gently remove the chicken from the pan, and serve with the sauce and gluten free noodles.