Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

First prepare your leg-quarters. Cut off the backs if desired. They may be saved and used for soup stock. Remove the skin and all of the chunks of fat around the edges. If desired you may cut the legs and thighs apart with a sharp knife or poultry shears. It takes about 4 leg-quarters to make 3 to 3-1/2-pounds of chicken.

Spray a very large skillet with non-stick spray. Add the chicken and fry it until it begins to brown. Remove it from the pan and lay it on a plate. Next heat the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onions and garlic and saute until they are tender and fragrant. Open up the cans of tomato products. Add them to the skillet with the onions. Add the seasonings too. Stir it up and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken, sort of laying it on top of the vegetables. Cover the skillet with a good lid or a pizza pan. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the pan simmer for about 45 minutes. Check it every now and then and add water if you think it needs it. When it is done cooking, serve it with cooked noodles or spaghetti, steamed broccoli and applesauce. Add a hot bread if you like, garlic bread is appropriate.

If you like, you can add a chopped green pepper, or a couple of stalks of chopped celery along with the onion. A small can of mushrooms is also appropriate here A dash of hot pepper is good too, but the kids don't much like it. I always sprinkle hot peppers on mine at the table, but it is better cooked in with the chicken.