I came across a chicken recipe on the All Recipes website and was reminded that it's been awhile since I've had a good hearty colorful something with chicken involved.

I don't know if you've ever looked at the way AllRecipes.com presents the recipes. Someone submits a recipe, then people comment on it usually along the lines of "Most awesome chicken (beef/sausage/cookies/cake/dessert) dish ever." And then the commenter proceeds to list all the modifications they made to the recipe to make it edible.

Lately I've been looking for excuses to use capers and canned artichoke hearts and this recipe looks like a good candidate. The capers would add a little tang, and the artichokes their bit of flavor, besides, they have antioxidants so are good for us. I would add them at the very end so they didn't get cooked to death. But they are certainly optional, omitting them would not deter the awesomeness.

Red Pepper Rosemary Chicken

1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound turkey Italian sausages, casings removed, browned
4 (4 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine
1 cup marinara sauce (from a jar)
1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
(Capers)
(Artichoke hearts)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 -3 tablespoons cold water
salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley


In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano. Crumble sausages over onion mixture. Rinse chicken and pat dry; arrange in a single layer over sausage. Sprinkle with pepper. Pour in vermouth/wine, marinara sauce and chicken broth. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 5 to 7 hours, or until chicken is tender and cooked through when pierced.

Transfer chicken to a warm, deep platter, and cover to keep warm.
In a small bowl, stir together cornstarch and cold water. Stir into cooking liquid in slow cooker. Increase heat to High, and cover. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 times, until sauce is thickened (about 10 more minutes). Season to taste with salt. Spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with fettucini or other hearty pasta.

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I could go find another chicken recipe, but am taking my cousin Betsy to Wal-Mart today to look for a birthday present for one of her Opportunity Village pals. He's probably close to 50, she's not sure how old he is, but he likes wrestling stuff. His mother is throwing a party with pizza and cake for him tomorrow at one of the casino bowling alleys. The guests will bring wrapped gifts, and everyone will have a good time, I'm sure. Betsy is getting there on the Para Transit bus, all arranged for. She's a master at making bus reservations.

I'm sure Betsy would have liked to have had her own party like that for her recent birthday, but it would have fallen to us to arrange and pay for it, and we're not that evolved yet. She enjoyed the family party we had for her, and seemed very satisfied with it. Sometime I'll ask her if her staff has ever arranged one of those bowling alley parties for her.

Anyhow, here's how I make quick chicken cacciatore, just off the top of my head:

Chicken Hunter Style

Cut up a fryer (yes I generally buy whole chickens) and dust the pieces with seasoned flour. In a Dutch oven, brown the chicken in olive oil and set out on a plate. Add more oil to the pan if needed and saute 1 good-sized onion chopped or sliced and when it's transparent throw in minced garlic, the equivalent of a couple of cloves to cook until soft but not browned. Put the chicken back in and pour a jar of spaghetti sauce over it and add some wine, either red or white. Season with Italian herb mix and about 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 1/2 hours until the chicken is very tender. Serve over pasta.

Of course a lot of the time I don't have sauce in a jar so I use canned diced tomatoes and a small can of tomato paste, but there are probably other things I do with that version that I'm not going to get into right now.