Andrea’s Chicken Cacciatore

My father Andrea Casolaro told me that this was the first dish he prepared for my Mom in America! He was missing his mother's cooking back home in Naples, Italy and so he decided to cook an authentic Italian meal, cacciatore (Cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian and refers to chicken or rabbit that is prepared "hunter style") was the only dish he actually knew how to cook from memory and so he decided to give it a try. I can just see him preparing the food in that tiny kitchen in Bayonne, NJ as if he had done it a thousand times and with the flair that all Neapolitans have because that's how my dad does everything! This is his recipe including his own measurements , "One big handful" and it is still pretty much from memory .

Ingredients

 2 pounds chicken pieces of your choice  bone in skinless 
28 ounce can (preferably San Marzano) whole tomatoes

chicken stock (as much needed to cover chicken)
2-4 very ripe plum tomatoes cut into smallish pieces
fresh herbs- I used thyme and oregano but you may also use rosemary
red wine (1 cup or so)
1 large sweet onion chopped finely
1 large bell pepper chopped finely
2 cloves garlic grated or minced finely
salt& pepper
red pepper flakes
olive oil
mushrooms, about 1 big handful of any kind and or combo wiped clean (they must be completely dry or else they will not brown) and chopped

First wash and dry your chicken and heat up the olive oil in a large skillet that has a lid for later use (use enough oil to coat the bottom of pan).
Brown the chicken pieces on both sides and remove setting aside on a plate.
Prepare your mushrooms by wiping them off (make sure they are very dry) and chopping up into small pieces.
Add the mushrooms first and saute until brown making sure you don't over crowd the pan (I would do it in 2 batches removing the first and then adding them back) or else they will be mushy then add onion, garlic, bell pepper, herbs, red pepper flakes, and saute until nicely browned.
Pour in wine and allow the alcohol to cook out for a minute or two.
Add the canned tomatoes crushing with your fists and then the fresh tomatoes adding salt and pepper to taste and allow this to cook for a few minutes, it will thicken up slightly.
Add the chicken pieces back making sure they are covered in the sauce, add chicken stock to cover, and place the lid on top. Cook until the chicken is done, 35 minutes or so depending on the type and amount of chicken you have. 

You can also cook this in the crockpot! 
This is a Northern Italian dish and would normally be served over polenta but my dad, a southern italian,  serves it over rice.

Roasted Chicken with Garlic, Rosemary, and Lemon

Every cook should should have a roasted chicken recipe and this is mine. It’s the perfect “company” meal that is not only easy on the pocketbook but also never boring. 
Tools:
roasting pan
skillet for gravy or if you have a stove top safe roasting pan just use that
Ingredients:
2 whole bulbs of garlic (Remove the outer skins, cut the tops off and separate.)
1 roasting chicken (4-5 lbs.) or buy 2 and cook up both at the same time side by side in the pan
Salt & fresh ground pepper
2 lemons scrubbed clean, each cut in quarters.
A few springs of fresh rosemary
Butter (2 tablespoons room temp)
Olive oil (2 tablespoons)
1/2 -1 cup white wine if you want to make a simple gravy
Directions:
 Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
Rub the butter and oil all over the chicken
Sprinkle the salt & pepper all over and inside the cavity of the chicken
Squeeze the lemons inside the cavity and then place half of the lemons inside along with a few sprigs of rosemary.
Place some of the cloves inside the cavity.
Tie the 2 legs together and tuck the wings under.
Put the chicken into the pan and  add the rest of the garlic and the lemon beside Mr. Chicken.
Roast at 275 for about 4 1/2 hours ( the internal temp will read 155 degrees because it will continue to cook after it is removed from the oven)
Remove the chicken and allow it to sit for15 minutes before cutting. After you remove the chicken remove the lemons and set aside, discard the rosemary, and set the garlic aside. Carve the chicken, or in my case "hack" the chicken up and place it on a tray.
Place the garlic and lemon all along the edges of the chicken, they are both edible!
Place a fresh sprig of rosemary on top.
Gravy: Pour the juice through a fat remover if you have one and then pour into a skillet. Place the pan skillet the stove top and heat up on medium high heat. Add 1/2 cup white wine along with 1/2 cup of water and cook until reduced by about half.

Cajun Style Chicken Fingers

These are off of Recipezaar but here are some changes Danielle made to it: add a few shots of hot sauce to the marinade, and use a combo of butter/olive oil for the frying rather than margarine.

* 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 teaspoons garlic powder
* 2 teaspoons onion powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 cup breadcrumbs

Directions


Cut chicken into 1 inch strips, or"fingers" about 3 inches in length.

Mix together remaining ingredients, (except breadcrumbs and 3 tbsp. margarine), in a bowl and add chicken and mix well, insuring that chicken is coated on all sides.


Allow chicken to marinate in this for at least 20 minutes.


Coat chicken in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess, and place chicken fingers on plate.

Heat margarine (olive oil/butter) in skillet over medium heat; add chicken fingers, and cook until browned and crispy, about 5 minutes per side.

Add more margarine (olive oil/butter) to the skillet if necessary.


Drain fingers on paper toweling.

Sizzling Summer Chicken fajitas

Sizzling Summer Chicken Fajitas
(We feed 5 people on this with plenty for seconds and left overs!)

Marinade
Olive oil (few tablespoons)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ cup fresh cilantro OR flat leaf parsley
4 chicken breasts boneless/skinless

Place the marinade ingredients into a zip lock baggie
Cut the chicken into strips (this works best if the meat is half frozen/half defrosted) and place into the bag and place in fridge for several hours

Fixings
Pepper jack cheese or cheddar
Hot sauce
Sour cream
Onions sautéed
Mixed sweet peppers sautéed

Large flour tortillas

Prepare fixings ahead or have your kids do this part: sautee the onions and peppers, grate cheese, set out the cream and hot sauce.
Grill chicken: (we use an indoor griddle like you use for pancakes) at med/high turning occasionally for 7-8 minutes or until cooked through (no pink juice)
Warm tortillas in microwave or on the grill for 10 -15 seconds on each side

Place meat, peppers/onions, cheese, cream and hot sauce, on a tortilla and fold, enjoy!