Sasha's Kitchen: Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is one of my favorite chicken dishes.  Recently, I made this classic dish for my husband and it was a huge success.  I love the mushroom, onion and tomato topping to the dish, and the moist, delicious chicken.  This is a great family dinner recipe that I am sure we will be making again soon.

Chicken Cacciatore (recipe adopted from Bon Appetit)
1 1/2 lbs plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about four cups)
8 oz crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
5 T olive oil
2 T sherry vinegar
1 4 lb medium sized chicken, cut into eight pieces
1 1/2 T chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth (I used a bit more than the recipe called for)
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil

Preheat the oven to 400.  Combine the plum tomatoes, mushrooms and red onion in a large bowl.  Add 3 T of the oil and the vinegar, and toss to blend.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for about fifty minutes until tender.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350.  Season the chicken with salt, pepper and rosemary (reserving a half tablespoon).  Heat the remaining oil in a skillet or dutch oven and add the chicken and saute until golden brown, about five minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to bowl, and add wine to skillet and boil until reduced by half, about one minute, scraping up the brown bits.  Add the canned tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Return the chicken into the sauce and place in the oven, uncovered for about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and stir in the roasted vegetables, remaining 1/2 T rosemary and half the basil.  Simmer until vegetables are heated through and serve hot, topping with remaining basil.