Welcome to mid-January… would you like me to turn up the air conditioning? Here in southern California, we’ve had quite a few days where the temperature has been in the 80s, and to be honest, turning on the oven or cooking over the stove doesn’t sound all that inviting! Fortunately, there’s our old friend the Crockpot. I love these little wonders and they’ve saved me many a time. Last week on my Sockmonkey’s Kitchen Facebook page, I had a request for some slow cooker recipes, so I thought I’d share one that keeps the kitchen cool during the day, but when the sun goes down and it gets a little chilly, you’ve got a nice hearty Chicken Cacciatore just waiting to be devoured.

Have you ever wondered what “Chicken Cacciatore” means? Well, the “Chicken” part is pretty self explanatory.. heh heh… but “Cacciatore” means “Hunter Style Stew”. It can be made with game meats of all sorts, especially rabbit, and there is usually some type of onion and tomato base. I’ve made this version for over a dozen years, and it’s one my kids used to ask for. This is a good thing, since they have such different likes/dislikes when it comes to food.

The main thing you want to remember is that this recipe isn’t an exact science. This one is merely a guideline. If you don’t have enough of an ingredient, don’t sweat it! Improvise instead. I’m sure it will be great 🙂 I generally serve it  over potatoes that I’ve boiled and mashed with a lot of butter and garlic, but you can also put it over gluten-free pasta, or just serve it with some crusty French bread.
(PS: This dish is Paleo, and unless you serve it with bread, the whole meal (with garlic mashed potatoes or GF pasta) stays Paleo. yay!)
Enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore

1 tin (28oz) Tomato Puree
1 tin (6 oz) Tomato Paste
3 Celery Ribs
2 Small Onions (or 15 green onions)
1½ Tablespoon dried Oregano
1½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½-1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ cup white wine
1 red bell pepper
4 small tomatoes (or 2 large)
10 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless, total 2½ lbs.)

Mix well, cook in crockpot on low setting for 10 hours.

Serve over garlic mashed potatoes or gluten free pasta.

And speaking of Slow….

How about the Beatles doing a cover of Larry Williams’ “Slow Down”…