Description
The fall is upon us in the Midwest. The leaves are turning and the air has a chill to it. John decided that we are going to grow Rhode Island Red Chickens this year. They are a Heritage Chicken and we grow them without antibiotics or any mammalian by-products. Rhode Island Red Chickens are ideally a laying chicken, but they make a great, delicious stewing chicken because of the firmness of the meat. I don’t understand the need for giving antibiotics to animals unless it is medically necessary. And the thought of mammalian by products makes our stomaches turn.
John built a chicken house so that they would be outside on grass, and they would be safe from predators. Leave it to a welder to make a chicken jail! At least the chickens are safe. And did I mention that they have an attached house to go into at night?
We took most of the chicken to be processed, and when we got them home, we decided to make BBQ Chicken. We did not realize that the chickens were very lean and that they needed to be braised or slowly roasted. They are perfect for Chicken Cacciatore.
Ingredients
- 1 medium roasting chicken (jointed)
- Flour
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1–32 oz jar of Marina’s Italian Tomato Sauce
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 oz chicken stock
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons of white wine
Instructions
- Coat the chicken pieces with flour. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan. Add the chicken pieces and fry until crisp and golden. Remove to a plate.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pan and fry until pale. Add the wine to the pan and reduce. Add the Tomato Sauce, tomato paste, sugar and stock to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the tomato mixture to a boil and add the chicken pieces. Cover the pan and simmer slowly for 30 to 45 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 15 minutes longer.
- Serve over freshly cooked pasta.