Weekly Recipe: Quick Chicken Cacciatore

Quick Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4
6 Points value

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small onion, cut into large pieces
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp fennel seed, lightly crushed
1 Tbsp water
2 cloves of garlic pressed or minced
14oz can diced tomatoes
8oz can tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, mix the spices with the water and set aside. This helps the spice flavors to develop and blend and it's the secret to the great flavor of this dish. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil. When hot, add the chicken breasts. Cook 2-3 minutes per side until nicely browned. Remove to a plate.

Adding the remaining 1-2 Tbsp of oil as needed, quickly brown the vegetables; in batches if necessary. Keep the pan hot; the object is to brown the chicken and vegetables without cooking them all the way through.

Mix together the spice mix with the garlic, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Pour half of the tomato mixture into a sprayed 9x13 pan. Pour the vegetables over the sauce, place the chicken on top of the vegetables and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken. Cover and bake about 35 minutes.

Thanks to Marianne for providing this week's recipe!