Chicken leftovers

Chicken Cacciatore

The only key to this recipe is in the mushrooms. I have had so many chicken cacciatores with bland mushrooms. Get fresh ones, slice em, heat oil/butter in pan, throw in portion of garlic and shallot, mushrooms, brown with thyme salt pepper added on. Then add your tomato sauce and left over chicken (if you have other vegetables--carrots, peppers, anything, you might want to cook those down in sauce first so as not to dry out chicken).

If you dont know how to make your own tomato sauce, then learn. Its easy and takes nothing other than putting things in a pot and letting things simmer for 2-3 hours (I never sautee anything before adding tomatoes). The right combination is important. I have never found a recipe in a book that I liked better than my own sauce, so it really comes down to what you like and get it that way consistently. Also--the tomatoes are crucial. If you use canned tomatoes (which are easy unless its tomato season), try them all. It's amazing how sauce can vary so much with a different brand of tomatoes. Best affordable cans were always Tutto Rosso, but impossible to get those in South. So, Cento it is.