Kriska Cooks: Chicken Cacciatore over Whole Wheat Fusilli

Chicken breasts are mostly what Mark's diet consists of. Whenever he's at the military camp, he usually eats boiled (or sometimes steamed) chicken breasts without even a pinch of salt or pepper. I can just imagine how sad his meal times are. So whenever he comes home on weekends, I make sure that he gets to enjoy what he eats without having to compromise his healthy growing body. :p

I've cooked grilled chicken for him several times already and I prepared Chicken Broccoli for him just recently, so those were definitely out of my list. I remember him requesting me to cook something with tomatoes and so Chicken Cacciatore was what topped my head.

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, it refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, and herbs, and is popularly made with braised chicken. Chicken Cacciatore is a dish in itself, but it may also be paired with pasta or even with rice. Fancy and complicated as it may seem, Chicken Cacciatore is very easy to make. Let me share with you guys my version. :)

Chicken Cacciatore over Whole Wheat Fusilli

Ingredients:

2 450g-packs boneless skinless chicken breast halves

8 pcs medium-sized ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes

2 tbsp ground black pepper (for sauce) and another 1 tsp (for chicken)
1 tbsp olive oil for frying

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely-chopped
1 250g-can whole button mushrooms, thinly-sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, chopped

2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp honey

whole wheat fusilli or brown rice

Preparation and Cooking Procedures:

For the pasta (any pasta would do), cook according to package directions.

Wash chicken breasts with running water. Pat-dry with clean cloth or paper towel, and season with pepper.

Note: I intentionally omitted the salt because this is for Mark's diet, but you may add 1 tsp to season the chicken.

In a sauce pan with oil over medium-high heat, cook chicken until golden brown. Flip the chicken to cook the other side. About 4 minutes per side.

Remove chicken from heat, transfer to a clean plate, and set aside.

In the same pan where we cooked the chicken, saute garlic over medium heat until golden brown. Add in the onions and cook until translucent.

Stir in the mushrooms and pepper.

Add the tomatoes, dried oregano, and honey. Give it a good stir and cover.

Note: 2 tbsp sugar may be used instead of honey. And again, you may choose to omit the sugar or add more depending on how sweet you want the dish to be. :)

Let it simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down.

Once the tomatoes have broken down, stir in the chicken breasts.

Let is simmer until sauce is reduced and becomes thick.

Remove from heat and top over whole wheat fusilli. Serve and enjoy! :D

Chicken Cacciatore over Whole wheat Fussili for Me

Any pasta would actually do. You may also pair it with steamed rice, and in my case I used brown rice for a healthier treat. :)

Chicken Cacciatore over Whole Wheat Fussili for Mark

Print Recipe

Chicken Cacciatore over Whole Wheat Fusilli

by Kriska Marie - www.kriskamarie.com September-28-2014

Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. In cuisine, it refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with tomatoes, onions, and herbs, and is popularly made with braised chicken. Chicken Cacciatore is a dish in itself, but it may also be paired with pasta or even with rice. Fancy and complicated as it may seem, Chicken Cacciatore is very easy to make. Let me share with you guys my version. :)

Ingredients

2 450-gram packs boneless chicken breast
8 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons ground black pepper (for sauce)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper (for chicken)
1 tablespoon olive oil for frying
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 250-gram can whole button mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons honey
1 250-gram pack whole wheat fusilli

Instructions

1. For the pasta (any pasta would do), cook according to package directions. 2. Wash chicken breasts with running water. Pat-dry with clean cloth or paper tower, and season with pepper.
Note: I intentionally omitted the salt because this is for Mark's diet, but you may add 1 tsp to season the chicken.3. In a sauce pan with oil over medium-high heat, cook chicken until golden brown. Flip the chicken to cook the other side. About 4 minutes per side.4. Remove chicken from heat, transfer to a clean plate, and set aside.5. In the same pan where we cooked the chicken, saute garlic over medium heat until golden brown. Add in the onions and cook until translucent.6. Stir in the mushrooms and pepper.7. Add the tomatoes, dried oregano, and honey, give it a good stir, and cover.
Note: 2 tbsp sugar may be used instead of honey. And again, you may choose to omit the sugar or add more depending on how sweet you want the dish to be. :)8. Let it simmer for 12-15 minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down.9. Once the tomatoes have broken down, stir in the chicken breasts. Let is simmer until sauce is reduced and becomes thick.10. Remove from heat and top over whole wheat fusilli. Serve and enjoy! :DAny pasta would actually do. You may also pair it with steamed rice, and in my case I used brown rice for a healthier treat. :)

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