Chicken Cacciatore

I made this recipe last night for the first time and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it is! It's a little bit similar to my Braised Duck Ragu because it's another kind of braised foul in tomato sauce, but it's less work and equally tasty!
This particular recipe I found on All Recipes.com except I immediately tweaked it for my preferences. Just check out my notes on the bottom to see the changes I made :)

*Source*
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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (4 pound) chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, quartered
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet (one that has a cover/lid). Fry the chicken pieces until they are browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.
2. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet and saute until the onion is slightly browned. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 670 | Total Fat: 38.1g | Cholesterol: 170mg

*Mina's Suggestions/Notes*

- I prefer to use either chicken thighs or drum sticks because I don't like to fuss with deconstructing an entire chicken. If you're cooking for 2, use a pack of 4 thighs or 5 drumsticks for this recipe. 

- I ALWAYS use olive oil when I cook only because not only is it healthier, but its an opportunity to add extra flavour!

- I found that 2 cloves of garlic was nothing..I really like a lot of garlic so I used 3 good sized cloves.

- I also added a full can of tomato paste to help thicken the sauce and of course, add more flavour :)

- I always try to use fresh herbs if i have the opportunity, if you CAN use fresh herbs, use double the amount of dried (1 tsp)...dried works too though! 

- Speaking of herbs, I added some basil and 2 bay leaves (personal taste, not needed though)

- Where it asks for wine, I almost always use red wine when cooking with tomatoes. If you only have white, try it and let me know how it tastes..or if for whatever reason you don't have wine, I read one of the comments where a woman used apple juice instead of wine...but use at your own discretion. 

- I would like to mention that I pretty much doubled what the recipe called for in wine because I just like the taste of wine! I find that it adds a nice depth and richness.

- I really hate mushrooms and I'm not crazy for peppers so I just added a chopped carrot instead. If you do use mushrooms, they MUST be fresh. canned mushroom won't work the same because you want the fresh mushrooms to absorb all the yummy flavours on the sauce!

- And don't forget to add 1 tsp of sugar to your sauce to cut the acid...Nobody likes heartburn!! </3

Happy Eating! <3