Chicken Cacciatore

From Cooking Light. For an even more economical meal, use a whole chicken cut into pieces. Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need to brown the chicken in batches.

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon onion powder
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon dried basil
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 6  bone-in skinless chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds)
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 2  cups  sliced mushrooms
• 1 1⁄2 cups red bell peppers, strips
• 1 1⁄2 cups green bell peppers, strips
• 1  cup  thinly vertically sliced onion
• 1  tablespoon  balsamic vinegar
• 2  bay leaves
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 6  cups  hot  cooked penne (about 3/4 pound uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
• 1⁄2 cup  grated fresh parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients, and sprinkle 4 teaspoons oregano mixture evenly over chicken. Set remaining oregano mixture aside.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from the pan. Add mushrooms, bell peppers, and onion to pan; sprinkle with remaining oregano mixture. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add vinegar, bay leaves, tomatoes, and tomato paste; stir to combine. Arrange the chicken over tomato mixture, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 50 minutes or until the chicken is done.
3. Place 1 cup pasta in each of 6 shallow bowls; top each serving with 1 chicken breast half. Ladle 1 cup sauce over chicken, and sprinkle each serving with 4 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese.