CHICKEN CACCIATORE

• 3 lbs. chicken pieces
• ½ cup flour
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• ¼ lb. mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can tomatoes with juice (14 oz.)
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• ¼ tsp. each of dried thyme, oregano and basil
• ½ tsp. each of salt and pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Lightly dust chicken pieces with flour (shake in a bag). Heat oil in a large skillet then brown chicken pieces well. Remove and set aside.

Discard all but 3 tbsp. of oil from the skillet, return to heat. Add onions, peppers and mushrooms to pan. Cook 5 minutes until tender.

Sprinkle vegetables with ¼ cup of flour, stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, salt and pepper. Break tomatoes with a spoon, bring everything to a boil. The mixture should be thick. Add chicken pieces and simmer gently, covered for about 45 minutes.

Remove chicken pieces to serving dish and keep warm. Add milk to the vegetable mixture in the skillet and heat well. Combine sauce with chicken and serve over rice or noodles.

I used to tell the kids that “Chicken Cacciatore” was a cowardly Italian prizefighter.