SimplEdibles: CHICKEN CACCIATORE

RECIPES THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE THE SMARTEST, CLEVEREST AND MOST AMAZING COOK IN THE WORLD

Just saying 'Chicken Cacciatore' makes you feel like a real dyed-in-the-wool Italian. Actually, it's not as fancy as it sounds; it's just chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce over pasta or noodles. It's easy to make but here's the thing--it just got even easier. McCormick, the company that makes spices and packaged gravies and such, has come out with these nifty little packets that have all the spices you need to make a great meal and they are all pre-measured for you along with the recipe so it's practically fool-proof. This is what the package looks like. But just in case you don't happen to have one on hand and don't see any chance of getting one in the foreseeable future, here is the recipe that is on the package. This is assuming that you already have all of these spices on hand, of course.

½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. marjoram leaves

½ tsp. oregano leaves

½ tsp. crushed rosemary leaves

½ tsp. thyme leaves

You will need:

¼ C. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 lb. chicken tenders

1 T. olive oil, diluted

1 pkg. (8 oz.) mushrooms finely sliced

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1. Fry the vegetables in the oil until they are tender. Set aside.

2. In a dish or on a plate, add the salt to the flour and then add the chicken to it until it is well covered on both sides. Fry the chicken in 1 T. oil until it is lightly browned and cooked through. You will need to add 1 T. water, turn down the heat to medium-low and cover the pan for about 10 minutes to get the chicken to cook completely.