Chicken Cacciatore "Pronto"

So I looked at this recipe and decided to try it. I had never had Chicken Cacciatore, and it had things I liked. It wasn't until the middle of making it, that D informed me he despises Chicken Cacciatore. Oh well. He said he would try it. We were having technical issues (internet) in the house, and so that was a distraction, so I'm not sure if it was easy or not.

We had with Spaghetti and Zucchini. Result: We both felt it was missing something. It was rather plan. We probably won't have again. It was even plainer for lunch left overs.

Chicken Cacciatore "Pronto"

"I took the classic theme of chicken cacciatore (which is usually made with a whole chicken) and re-created it with a minimum of ingredients and cooking time. The result is lots of flavor from using only chicken thighs and a base layer of seasoning from dried porcini mushrooms--a perfect weeknight or 'everyday' meal." - Michael Chiarello

1 (1/2-ounce) package dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, divided
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water

Combine mushrooms and hot water in a bowl; cover and let stand 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon. Finely chop mushrooms; set aside. Strain the soaking liquid into a bowl through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or paper towels. Discard solids; reserve soaking liquid.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic to pan; cook 2 minutes or until golden, stirring constantly. Add 2 tablespoons parsley; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chopped mushrooms; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the reserved soaking liquid, tomatoes, broth, and water; bring to a simmer. Return chicken to pan, and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Remove chicken; keep warm. Increase heat to medium-high; cook until sauce is reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Spoon sauce over chicken; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon parsley.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and 1/4 cup sauce)

CALORIES 263 (29% from fat); FAT 8.5g (sat 1.7g,mono 3.7g,poly 1.8g); IRON 5.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 115mg; CALCIUM 31.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.7g; SODIUM 771mg; PROTEIN 33.6g; FIBER 3.5g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2003