Martha Stewart Chicken Cacciatore With Crisp Polenta Recipes

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Salt and pepper chicken. Heat a large braiser pan or large, deep skillet; pour olive oil into heating pan. Add the chicken to brown all over. (Chicken can be browned in batches if necessary.) Remove chicken from the pan. Add the bacon, onion, garlic, and rosemary. Cook until the bacon is rendered, about 5 minutes.
• Return browned chicken to the pan. Raise the heat to high and deglaze with wine, stirring to pick up the bits on the bottom, until most wine is evaporated. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Simmer and stir, partially covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove lid during last few minutes of cooking and simmer until sauce has thickened a bit.
• Serve over noodles.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Reserve chicken wings for another use. Remove skin from chicken; halve breasts crosswise; you will have 6 pieces of dark meat and 6 pieces of light meat.
• Heat a deep 10-inch skillet or 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add half the chicken pieces; cook until browned, about 8 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
• In same pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms; cook on medium-high, stirring, until softened and browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan; add onions, peppers, and garlic; cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes. Pour in wine; bring to a boil. Cook until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth; return chicken to pan. Simmer, turning occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour. Stir in mushrooms. Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain; serve with chicken and sauce. Garnish with basil or parsley if desired.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk water and cornmeal; microwave, covered, on high for 6 minutes. Stir; cook, covered, 5-7 minutes longer or until polenta is thickened, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in cheese and salt., Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon., Add onion to the same pan; cook and stir 2-4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Return chicken to pan; stir in tomatoes and olives. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 6-8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with polenta. Freeze option: Do not prepare polenta until later. Freeze cooled chicken mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Prepare polenta as directed. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, reheat chicken, stirring occasionally; add a little water if necessary. Serve with polenta.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Place 1 cup flour in a large bowl. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and toss in flour to coat evenly. Transfer chicken to a platter, and set aside.
• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the reserved chicken skin, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fat has been rendered and skin is golden brown and crisp. Discard skin. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pot. (Alternatively, if desired, use olive oil, heating until it is hot but not smoking.)
• Add half the chicken to the pot, and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter; set aside. Repeat with remaining chicken. Add onion to pot; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes more. Raise heat to medium-high. Add the wine; scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add stock, tomatoes with reserved juice, bay leaf, oregano, and rosemary to pot; stir to combine. Using tongs, return chicken to pot along with any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Submerge chicken in sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 30 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the butter and remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons flour to form a smooth paste. Stir half the paste into the simmering stew, and cook about 3 minutes. If the stew is still not as thick as desired, stir in the remaining paste, and cook 3 minutes more. Remove and discard bay leaf; serve stew hot over warm polenta. Stew can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 1 month in an airtight container. Cool completely before storing.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH CREAMY POLENTA

Steps:

• Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Place flour in shallow dish; coat both sides of chicken in flour.
• In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook about 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken to plate; cover to keep warm.
• Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Add mushrooms; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Add onion, carrot and celery; cook about 6 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute. Add white wine; cook 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes, broth and rosemary. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Add chicken breasts; simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).
• Meanwhile, in 4-quart saucepan, heat broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt just to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; very slowly beat in cornmeal with whisk. Continue to beat constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture thickens. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 minutes, stirring once after 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese, whipping cream and 2 tablespoons butter.
• Serve chicken and sauce over polenta.

CHICKEN-AND-POLENTA PUTTANESCA MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler with rack 6 inches from heating element. Season polenta and chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high; swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add polenta and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp on edges, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add chicken to skillet; cook until browned on edges and cooked through, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil, olives, capers, and garlic to skillet; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Stir marinara into skillet; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; nestle in chicken and polenta, shingling them and spooning some sauce over top. Sprinkle with cheese; broil until bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes. Top with parsley; serve.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, four at a time to avoid over-crowding - and fry until both sides are browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining chicken and transfer to a plate.
• Add the onion and bell pepper and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute another 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Add the dried herbs and red pepper flakes.
• Add the red wine and bring it to a boil over heat heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and ground porcini mushrooms. Stir to combine and return to a boil. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, showing no signs of pink when cut into near the bone.
• Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return the sauce to a boil over high heat and cook until it has thickened a little, 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Dish out the polenta onto four plates, arrange two pieces of chicken on top of each serving of polenta, and spoon the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and polenta. Serve immediately.