Aunt Phyllis' Chicken Cacciatore with Portobellos and Sage

Chicken Cacciatore with Portobellos and Sage

If your Dutch oven is large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer without crowding, brown all the pieces at once instead of in batches. The Parmesan cheese rind is optional, but we highly recommend it for the robust, savory flavor it adds to the dish. An equal amount of minced fresh rosemary can be substituted for the sage. Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), trimmed of excess fat
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion , chopped
6 ounces portobello mushroom caps (about 3 medium), wiped clean and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 medium cloves garlic , minced
1 1/2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes , drained
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1 piece Parmesan cheese rind (2 inches, about 1 ounce), optional
2 teaspoons minced fresh sage leaves
salt and ground black pepper

Method:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Add four chicken thighs, skin-side down, and cook, not moving them until skin is crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes; using tongs, flip chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer browned chicken to large plate; brown remaining chickenthighs, transfer to plate, and set aside.

2. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onion, mushrooms, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until moisture evaporates and vegetables begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, remove and discard skin from browned chicken thighs. Add garlic to pot and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pot bottom with wooden spoon to loosen brown bits. Stir in stock, tomatoes, thyme, cheese rind (if using), 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit salt if using cheese rind), and pepper to taste. Submerge chicken pieces in liquid and bring to boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 45 minutes, turning chicken pieces with tongs half way through cooking. Discard cheese rind, stir in sage, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, and serve.

My Kitchen Garden

Blogging recipes is next to impossible when I spend my days in the garden. I hope that all of you forgive my absence.

Gardening is a gift from God. It is pure pleasure to watch a seed grow in to a plant and bear fruit. . .or vegetables. . .or, my favorite, flowers.

In my 30' x 120' garden patch I am attempting to raise:
Autumn planted:

• garlic

Herbs:

• common sage


• common thyme


• variegated thyme


• creeping thyme


• Greek oregano


• basil


• cilantro


• Italian flat leaf parsley


• chives


• Chinese chives


• catnip


• French tarragon


• rosemary


• lemon grass


• ginger root


• galangal root


• turmeric

Cool Weather Crops:

• peas


• snow peas


• cabbage


• bok choi


• broccoli


• collard greens


• spinach


• green onions from plants


• sweet Spanish onion sets


• French red shallots


• red onions


• red potatoes


• white potatoes


• carrots (more for the flowers than the carrots--they look like Queen Anne's lace but are easier to grow)

Warm Weather Crops:

• Jack O'Lantern pumpkins


• Jack Be Little pumpkins


• sugar pie pumpkins


• butternut squash


• spaghetti squash


• zucchini squash


• Italian vegetable marrow (cocozelle squash)


• muskmelon


• Hearts of Gold cantaloupe


• Hale's Best cantaloupe


• sweet potatoes


• green bell peppers


• orange bell peppers


• habanera hot peppers


• jalapeno hot peppers


• poblano hot peppers (very slow growing this year)


• Greek pepperoncini peppers (very slow growing this year)


• Italian Marconi peppers (ditto)


• moon and stars watermelon


• sugar baby watermelon


• okra


• roma tomatoes


• Japanese eggplant


• Black Beauty eggplant

I have yet to plant in a 20' x 30' space:

• Market green beans


• corn

In and around the 2 acres we rent:
Perennial Flowers

• purple coneflower


• hollyhocks


• asters


• astilbe


• coral bells


• carnations


• pinks (dianthus)


• dwarf Shasta daisies


• Canterbury Bells


• dahlias


• bleeding heart


• double orange daylilies


• sedum


• striped grass


• various other lilies


• trumpet vine (what a pest, but the hummingbirds love it!)


• morning glories


• yellow iris

Annual Flowers

• petunias (they sometimes self-seed)


• cleome (ditto)


• sweet peas (also self-seeding)


• milkweed for the hummingbirds


• marigolds


• cannas


• gladiolas


• zinnias, zinnias, zinnias!


• nasturtiums


• coleus


• begonias


• Reiger begonias


• elephant ears


• caladiums


• calla lilies

Perennial Fruits and Vegetables

• asparagus


• strawberries


• raspberries


• blackberries


• blueberries

Fruit and Nut Trees

• cherries


• peaches


• apricots


• apples


• black walnuts


• buckeyes (we gather the nuts for squirrel food)


• mulberry (I love them!)

Flowering Trees and Shrubs

• redbud tree


• purple smoke tree


• pink weigela


• red weigela


• butterfly bushes (buddleia davidii)


• forsythia


• Euonymus burning bush


• Golden euonymus


• Emerald variegated euonymus


• peonies

I will post again after the garden is in and the weeds under control!