Chicken Cacciatore

Winter is the season for comfort food!

What’s more comforting than a traditional warming, hearty, home-cooked Italian crockpot meal full of tomato-y garlic-y goodness??  I can’t think of anything at the moment. 

Crock pot meals are the bomb because they can be made with minimal time and effort, and still taste like heaven in a bowl.

This Jenna-style chicken cacciatore  is my fave go-to meal to make on a lazy Sunday. It also makes a great dinner entrée to serve with friends because it’s easy and it feeds at least 4 to 6 people!

I love using chicken thighs on-the-bone.  The bones give us a generous boost of  amino acids, minerals and collagen (similar to bone broth) to promote healthy digestion and glowing, radiant skin. Who wouldn’t want that?!

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you can easily substitute the chicken for tofu (see below for details).

I love spaghetti squash, so I use that in my recipe, but you can also use regular spaghetti, angel hair or zucchini noodles.  I don’t think you can go wrong!

You can also get creative with using different veggies, which are something we as Americans never really get enough of.  Feel free to use my recipe as a guide, but add or subtract anything you like- the more colorful, the better!

Chicken Cacciatore  Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 small or 1 large Spaghetti squash, cooked and seeds removed
• 3 lbs chicken thighs (OR 2 pounds firm tofu, drained and cut into 1/2 inch squares, plus 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth)
• 2 25-30 oz jars tomato sauce of your choice (or you can use homemade if you’re feeling ambitious)
• 2 onions, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 orange or yellow pepper, thinly sliced
•  1 zucchini or summer squash, thinly sliced
• 1 container mushrooms, thinly sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. SPAGHETTI SQUASH:
   1. Use a fork or knife to poke a few holes in the TOP of the whole, un-cut spaghetti squash. 
   2. Place the squash in the oven and bake for about 45-55 minutes.
   3. Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing down the middle. 
   4. Remove and discard the seeds, then scrape out the cooked “spaghetti”; reserve this in a bowl for later!
3. CHICKEN: Cook chicken thighs in crock pot on low for 6 hours. Remove bones after chicken has been cooked.
4. VEGETARIAN/VEGAN:  USE TOFU–>  Cook tofu and vegetable broth on low for 3-4 hours total. Add remaining ingredients during the last hour.
5. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 1 additional hour. You can mix spaghetti squash in, or serve the mixture over the spaghetti/squash – up to you!