Chicken Cacciatore

In keeping with my "Skinny Series", I wanted to include this amazingly simple, decadent meal. We have been doing meal prep at our house for the last eight weeks to lose weight for our wedding. It's been so great being able to reach into the fridge and have a few meal options available when we're both hungry and strapped for time! However, now that we wedding is over, I have more time to work on making new recipes and converting ones I read about in old cookbooks, Cooking Light magazine and from my own imagination.

We recently went on a trip to Naples that was absolutely gorgeous! We went as a pre-wedding vacation to relax and get a nice glow before the big day. Much to my surprise, almost all of the restaurants in Naples were Italian-fare. Carbs weren't exactly my first choice with our upcoming nuptials, so I opted for dishes with fresh herbs, chicken, and mozzarella. 

Since our wedding I've been craving pasta like crazy! I found this recipe in a new Italian cookbook I received as a wedding gift and adapted it to be lighter-fare. 

You will need the following on your shopping list:

1 1/2 cup Multi-color bell peppers 

1 cup Yellow onion

(I prefer paying the extra buck fifty for pre-chopped ingredients!) 

3 Chicken breasts

2 tbsp thyme

1 1/2 tbsp Italian parsley

3 tbsp Basil

1 package whole wheat spaghetti noodles

1 can crushed tomatoes

Shredded mozzerella - for garnish

1/4 cup white wine

Begin by coating your pan with spray olive oil and warm over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of your chopped bell peppers and allow them to cook down for 2-4 minutes.

Next, add 1 cup of chopped yellow onion and 1/8 cups white wine to your dish. For this dish, I prefer a nice buttery chardonnay to round out the flavors. Stay away from ultra fruity wines for this dish. Stir ocaasionally.

Allow the onion, wine and bell peppers to simmer over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. 

While simmering, coat another pan with spray olive oil and add your chicken. Cook your chicken over medium-high heat (around a 6) for 5 minutes on one side.

Before flipping, spray the raw side of the chicken. Cook for an additional 5 minutes on the raw side. Add 3 tbsp of white wine and 2 tbsp of water to add additional moisture to the chicken. 

Lower the heat of the chicken to medium-low (around a 4).

While the chicken is cooking, add the can of crushed tomatoes to the pepper and onion mix and blend well. Add your chopped herbs and allow to simmer over low heat.

Repeat the process of flipping the chicken every 5 minutes 2 additional times, for a total of 20 minutes pan frying. 

Begin cooking your spaghetti noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Cut into your chicken after 20 minutes to make sure it is cooked thoroughly. Depending on the thickness, it should be done around 20-30 minutes, flipping every 5 minutes.

Once your noodles are finished, drain them and add them back to the pot, removing them from heat.

Serve by adding the noodles to the plate first, top with a chicken breast, and follow with sauce. Garnish your dish with shredded mozzarella cheese and a piece of parsley.

Buon Appetito!