This is a fairly “rustic” dish. Hearty and delish.
Ingredients:
Chicken Cacciatore:
1 chicken thigh and drumstick
2 gloves of garlic
Carrot and Onion mixture from stuffed hamburger
1 Zucchini (not pictured)
1 Squash (not pictured)
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
Salt and pepper
1 chicken thigh and drumstick
2 gloves of garlic
Carrot and Onion mixture from stuffed hamburger
1 Zucchini (not pictured)
1 Squash (not pictured)
1 8oz can Tomato Sauce
Salt and pepper
Polenta:
½ cup polenta
1 chicken stock
¾ cup milk
½ cup polenta
1 chicken stock
¾ cup milk
Side note I: I made my own chicken stock but feel free to
use canned/boxed or a bouillon cube. Just try and use a low(er) sodium variety.
1) Do you guys remember the whole chicken I butchered? And the
carcass that I saved? Well if you don’t here’s a reminder…
Pretty, yeah?
Stock is pretty easy to make. Just put it in a pot with just
about enough water to cover the carcass. Add some salt and pepper. Boil away
for maybe 30-45 minutes. Set aside
enough stock for polenta, save the rest for another time.
Side note II: My carcass was completely frozen but if yours
is at room temperature/not frozen try and break as many as the bones on the
carcass as you can. This lets the yummy marrow juices from the bones to be
included in your stock.
Side note III: After I strained the broth, I kept the
carcass. Admittedly, this is pretty damn extreme but I couldn’t see all the
meat on the bones go to waste. So… I picked apart the meat off the bones. If
you don’t feel comfortable doing this you don’t have to. But if it’s any
incentive, look how much meat I was able to pick off!!
2) While the stock is boiling away, chop up garlic.
3) Heat a medium skillet with a small amount of oil and sear
off the chicken. Turn them after a few minutes (the skin of the chicken should
have a pretty, golden color).
4)After both sides of chicken are seared remove from heat.
5)Add chopped up garlic and onion/carrot mixture to pan
.
6)Then add the can of tomato sauce plus ½-1 can of water. Add
salt and pepper
7)Allow some of the volume to evaporate off. Slice squash and
zucchini and add to tomato mixture.
8) Then add chicken. Turn down heat to low-medium (tomato
mixture should be simmering). Allow to cook for another 30-45 minutes (until
chicken is cooked through).
Side note IV: I set aside half of the mixture for use tomorrow.
9) Take a ¾ cup of chicken broth and mix with equivalent amount
of milk. Heat until simmering/almost boiling.
Side note V: The more fatty milk you use, the creamier the
polenta will be. I used 1% but feel free to use 2%, whole milk, or even half
and half.
Side note within the side note: But remember, the higher fat content the more calories. It’s bastardly trade off.
Side note within the side note: But remember, the higher fat content the more calories. It’s bastardly trade off.
10) Add ½ cup of polenta. Stir vigorously and constantly. The
polenta will quickly absorb the liquid.
Turn down heat and keep stirring. Add salt and pepper to
taste.
Side note VI: You can plate this dish without making the polenta cakes, just serve polenta as is.
11) Transfer polenta to a container, smooth out surface. Put in
fridge to cool.
12) Once chicken finishes cooking remove polenta from fridge.
Cut into fourths.
Side note VII: I used a cup to get round cakes but you can cut them in whatever shapes you want: hearts, stars, triangles, pentagons… Go crazy!
Side note VII: I used a cup to get round cakes but you can cut them in whatever shapes you want: hearts, stars, triangles, pentagons… Go crazy!
13) Heat a very small amount of oil (or butter!) in a sauce pan.
Place one polenta cake until it browns a little.
14) Then flip and repeat.
Plate and serve (with wine!!!).
Cost Breakdown:
Chicken Cacciatore:
- Chicken: $1.19/lb x ½ lb=$0.60
- Garlic: $0.48/18= $0.03 $0.03x2= $0.06
- Carrot and Onion mixture: $0.10+$0.03= $0.13 from stuffed hamburger
- Zucchini and Squash: $1.39/bargain produce bag x ¼ bag= $0.35
- Tomato Sauce: $0.99/can
$1.53/2=$0.77
Total chicken cacciatore cost: $0.77+0.60= $1.37
Polenta:
- Polenta: $1.69 x ¼ lb= $0.42 (1 cup is 8 oz therefore half a cup is 4 oz, or a quarter of a pound)
- Milk: $2.39/8= $0.30 $0.30x ¾ = $0.23
- Stock: $2.08/4= $0.54
$1.19/4= $0.30
Total: $1.37+$0.30= $1.67
Total: $1.37+$0.30= $1.67
Side note VIII:
Stock:
Chicken carcass: 1.19/lb x 1.75= $2.08 (On a whole chicken, about 35% is bones. My chicken was about 5 lbs, which translate to about 1.75 in bones)
I used about 5 cups of water with some evaporating so about 4 cups total.
Stock:
Chicken carcass: 1.19/lb x 1.75= $2.08 (On a whole chicken, about 35% is bones. My chicken was about 5 lbs, which translate to about 1.75 in bones)
I used about 5 cups of water with some evaporating so about 4 cups total.
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