Sunday Dinner... Chicken Cacciatore

Hi Ken After church we went shopping in the Bluffs and had to deliver a piece of furniture for Nick.  We picked up some short ribs at Sam's but running around got too late to fix them so we stopped again and picked up chicken breasts and thighs for caccitore. I've been cooking non stop since we got home at 3. Caccitore is simmering and the short ribs are prepped and ready to turn on the crock pot in the a.m....Now for a bit of rest!

I based the recipe loosely on Tyler Florence's below. I skip the lemon and I simply fry the chicken dredged in flour. I did not find the crust appealing from his.  I used canned roasted peppers since red peppers in Omaha this time of year is prohibitive. I also used breast and thighs for the meat. We serve this on a sinful bed of polenta made with milk and cream, thyme and parmesean. I sauteed the brussel's sprouts left over from Friday as a side.

Time: 30 min Level:
  Easy Serves:   6 servings 

Ingredients
  6 red bell peppers (One jar or can)
  Extra-virgin olive oil
  Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
   1 (3 1/2-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
  6 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
  1 onion, sliced thin
  2 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped ( I use a can of San Marzanos)
    3 anchovy fillets ( I use the tube stuff)
  1 tablespoon capers
  1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  1/2 bunch fresh basil, hand-torn (1/4 bunch to flavor the base, 1/4 bunch to
  finish the dish)
  1 cup dry white wine
Directions
Start by preparing the peppers because they will take the longest. Preheat the
broiler. Pull out the cores of the red peppers; then halve them lengthwise and
remove the ribs and seeds. Toss the peppers with a little olive oil, salt, and
pepper. Place them on a cookie sheet, skin side up, and broil for 10 minutes,
until really charred and blistered. Put the peppers into a bowl, cover with
plastic wrap, and steam for about 10 minutes to loosen the skins. Peel the
peppers and roughly chop into chunks; set aside.
Season the flour with the garlic powder and a fair amount of
salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces.

Place a Dutch oven over
medium heat and pour in about 1/4-inch of oil. Pan-fry the chicken in batches,
skin side down, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Turn the chicken over and brown
the other side about 10 minutes longer. Remove the chicken to a side plate, pour
out the oil, and clean out the pot.
Put the pot back on the stove and coat with 1/4 cup of oil. Add the garlic,
onion, tomatoes, anchovies, capers, red pepper flakes, half the
roasted red peppers, and half the basil. Season with salt and pepper. This part
of the recipe is going to be your base. What we are looking for is a fragrant
vegetable pulp, so simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until everything
breaks down.
Add the remaining roasted peppers and the remaining basil. Tuck the chicken into
the stewed peppers and pour in the wine. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and
simmer for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.