Quick Chicken Cacciatore

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast (3 pieces) or, 1
package boneless, skinless chicken thighs, if you prefer dark meat
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 2 portobello mushroom caps, halved crosswise and thinly sliced
* 4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
* 1/2 cup beef broth or stock
* 1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
* A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
* 1 pound egg ribbons or egg fettuccini, cooked to al dente
* Crusty bread and grated Parmigiano or Romano, for passing

Directions

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the
extra-virgin olive oil and brown chicken breasts or thighs for 3 or 4
minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and season with salt and
pepper.

Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining. Add
crushed pepper, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt (salt
is a magnet for drawing out liquid). Cover and cook mushrooms 5
minutes or until mushrooms are dark, tender and have given off their
juices. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to intensify the wild mushroom
flavor, then stir in the tomatoes and parsley. Cut the chicken into
bite-size chunks or slices and add to sauce. Simmer sauce 5 minutes to
finish cooking chicken pieces and to allow the flavors to combine.
Toss pasta with cacciatore and serve with crusty bread and grated
cheese.

Tidbits: Beef broth and stock is now available in resealable paper
containers, which can be found on the soup aisle of your market. These
paper containers make storage of remaining broth easier; keep some on
hand in your refrigerator. Beef broth is used instead of chicken broth
in this recipe because it pairs better with the beefy taste of
portobello mushrooms. The broth will make your cacciatore taste as if
it simmered all day because it accents the mushroom taste well.

Depending on your brand, 1 large can of tomatoes can vary in weight
from 28 to 32 ounces. Use your favorite, but check to make sure the
product is sugar free.

From: foodnetwork.com