Chicken for Dinner

First of all, happy birthday to my sister! We live in different states, so I can't help her celebrate today, but I'm thinking of her. I'm really looking forward to seeing her in December. We sent our well-wishes and a present via snailmail--a buffalo tallow soap from Yellowstone we obtained during our roadtrip this year. Don't worry, she already received it so I'm not spoiling the surprise.

Wild buffalo in Yellowstone National Park

We had a friend over tonight for dinner before joining him to a Bible study. I wasn't sure what he likes, but chicken sounded like a safe choice. I made Chicken Cacciatore from The Kitchen Bible, modified with what I had on hand and farmer's market cherry tomatoes.This recipe stood out from the other chicken recipes because it is served with polenta, which adds some variety to my usual rice or pasta or potatoes. The best part, it takes less than an hour to make!

Chicken Cacciatore with polenta, asparagus, and a slice of pumpkin

Chicken Cacciatore
makes 4 servings

4 chicken legs
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3/4 dry white wine
15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 chicken bouillon added to 1 cup of boiling water
7 oz white mushrooms, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
1 tsp rubbed sage
2 tbsp canned black olives, drained

Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil until browned in a large casserole over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Remember to turn your chicken! Transfer to a plate. Pour the fat out of the pan.

Stir the onion and garlic in the remaining olive oil over medium-low heat, until softened. Stir in the wine and boil for 1 minute, while scraping up the bottom of the pan. Stir in the three-quarters of the tomatoes, stock from chicken bouillon, three-quarters of the mushrooms, celery, tomato paste, rosemary, and sage, and bring to a simmer.

Return chicken to pan and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the olives and the rest of the tomatoes and mushrooms and simmer for 10 more minutes with the lid off. Serve with polenta to soak up the juices.

FYI, I'm not that strict about the amount of ingredients when it comes to cooking. I used worry about exactly how big is a medium onion or how much salt to sprinkle. I don't anymore. These measurements just serve as a guide.