When I came home for lunch this afternoon, I quickly sliced half of an onion, half of a green pepper and some of the marinated red piquillo peppers I had in the fridge (otherwise I would have also sliced up half of a fresh red bell pepper). I lightly sauteed the green bell pepper and onion while I placed 4 big boneless and skinless chicken thighs in the bottom of my crock pot. I seasoned them with salt and pepper and then spread 1/2 of a jar of Mezzetta's Artichoke Parmesan Marinara on top of the chicken. It's a nice super thick and chunky sauce filled with lots of diced artichokes. I layered the sauteed peppers and onions on top of the sauce layer, then covered it and set it on high to cook for about 5 hours. If I had started it in the morning, I would have cooked it on low for about 8 to 9 hours.
The chicken literally melted in your mouth yet stayed intact in nice pieces to serve and required only a fork to cut and eat. We topped it with shredded Parmesan cheese and enjoyed it "stew style." It was the perfect meal to warm us up on this frosty Georgia night. The evening news said that it was actually colder here this morning in Georgia than it was in Alaska. It was 25 degrees this morning and didn't get out of the low 40s. It was cold enough for me to wear my new snow boarding gloves while driving to work. LOL I snapped a few quick photos of my easy peasy meal this evening. It was so simple and basic but tasted amazing. We are getting read to watch a movie this evening (The Fault In Our Stars) and enjoy a cup of coffee and a piece of Chocolate Pecan Pie. There is nowhere else I would rather be on this cold Friday night than here at home with hubby and our bichon Spike and sun conure Squawkie. Enjoy!
Hi GGC,
ReplyDeleteI love the cozy scene you describe of the four of you, snug and warm inside, enjoying a delightful Friday evening with your cacciatore stew, dessert, coffee, and movie ... well, *two* of you, anyway ... I imagine Spike & Squawkie enjoyed their very own special treats! :-)
This is certainly the season for comfort food, isn't it. Can't wait to make this recipe!
Hi CyberSis,
ReplyDeleteYes, it really is the season for comfort food. I finally feel like I warmed up for the first time all day.
Oh, and yes, the critters had their treats, too!
Since I didn't add any liquid to the crock pot, other than the thick sauce, the juices that cooked out were nice concentrated chicken, tomato flavored broth. I didn't miss eating it as a "pasta" dish at all. Hope you enjoy it too when you get a chance to try it. :-)
Hard to believe the temp in Georgia was the same as here (western NYS) yesterday morning when I got up! And we had our first dustings of snow as well.
ReplyDeleteI may very well make this dish tomorrow in the slow cooker for an easy Sunday meal~
Today I'm making my first pumpkin pie of the season (your recipe). It smells soooo good baking!
Enjoy your weekend.
Hi Darlene,
ReplyDeleteOhhhhhhh...pumpkin pie. I may need to whip something pumpkin up this afternoon, too. I enjoyed cranberry pancakes for breakfast and something pumpkin would be PERFECT for dessert tonight! Hope you enjoy the cacciatore. It was wonderful. :-)
I'm trying this chichen cacciatore now, have wanted a recipe for awhile so thank you. My question is you say you used 1/2 of the jar but not what size the jar is so how much is half?
ReplyDeleteThanks so much.
Roye
That sun conure sounds like a real prize. You should feel really lucky to have her!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Roye,
ReplyDeleteIt was a 25-oz jar. The amount you add doesn't have to be an exact amount and it depends on how much chicken you are cooking, too. I cooked 4 chicken thighs so if you cook more chicken, you could add more sauce, onions and peppers. Hope you enjoy it! :-)
Hi Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYes, our sun conure is a real prize...a real noisy prize at that! ;-)
We made this a few nights ago for dinner. Absolutely delicious and so easy! Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed it Leigh. Merry Christmas to you and a very Happy & Healthy New Year!
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