Chicken Cacciatore

Directions

1. 1
   Mix salt, pepper& flour together.
2. 2
   Wash chicken (taking off excess skin& roll in flour mixture).
3. 3
   Put a little onion& a bit of the garlic& a few whole basil leaves in 3/4 the oil, then brown chicken on all sides in the oil.
4. 4
   Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels (May need to add more oil as you go along).
5. 5
   Remove gristle from pan, leaving the oil; add the onion& half the garlic and stir until onion is just wilted, then add, zucchini& mushrooms- cook, stirring for a moment (not long, it will also be cooking in the oven).
6. 6
   Place the browned chicken pieces into a large oven-proof casserole& pour the onion-veggie mixture over the chicken.
7. 7
   In the same frying pan, add the rest (1/4 cup) of the oil& add the other half of the garlic, then add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, Italian spices, and wine.
8. 8
   Simmer a few minutes.
9. 9
   Pour over the chicken, cover and bake in a 350 degree oven about 45 minutes or until the chicken is done; then, uncover the chicken, top with chopped basil& parmesan and bake an additional 15-20 minutes to allow cheese to melt& sauce to thicken.
10. 10
    Serve with white rice with a little of the sauce on top.
11. 11
    Note: To reduce fat& calories, you can remove the skin from the chicken& omit the olive oil from the sauce.
12. 12
    I prefer to remove the skin while eating- the basil& chesse form a kind of crust so you can still have that without the skin.
13. 13
    Cooking with the skin on keeps the chicken moist.