I absolutely love this recipe and I must admit to making a few small changes but if you want to see her original recipe you can google it. You’ll have to buy a chicken some place that will be able to spatchcock it (butterfly it)– Whole Foods butcher will do this as well as your local butcher. Then when you get home and are ready to cook with it just press down on the chicken and sort of flatten it out. You’ll also need a cast iron pan large enough to hold it. I used a 12″ size pan and it was perfect. Believe me this is one of the most satisfying meals I can think of. Serve with whatever sides you like — we had homemade cranberry sauce , rice pilaf and roasted string beans. Perfection on a plate. Ina Garten has created some of the best recipes for home cooks today. The ingredients are all accessible and the presentation is beautiful and the food is delicious. This particular way of roasting a chicken is particularly delicious. This is what I did the other night and it was nothing short of fabulous.

Enjoy and thanks again to Ina Garten.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds

Kosher Salt and Freshly ground coarse black pepper

1 Lemon — sliced 1/4″ thick slices

2 large garlic cloves, minced she says thinly sliced but I prefer to mince

1 yellow onion, halved and sliced 1/4 ” thick

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 app. 4 lb. chicken, backbone removed and butterflied ( spatchcocked)

1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio

Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees

Place the thyme, fennel seeds, 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt and 1 Teaspoon pepper in a mini food processor and process until ground.

Pour the olive oil into a small glass measuring cup and add the herb mixture and set aside

Distribute the lemon slices on bottom of 12″ cast iron skillet and distribute the onion and minced garlic on top of the lemon slices.

Place the chicken on a separate baking sheet and pat it dry then turn the chicken skin side down and using a brush add about 1/2 the olive mixture to chicken. Turn the chicken skin side up, make sure it’s dry using paper towels ( very important for crispy skin) and brush remaining mixture all over the top of the chicken. Place chicken on top of the onions and lemons skin side up.

Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pour the wine into the pan but not on the chicken just into the area that’s open around the chicken. Roast for another 10-15 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 155-160 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the oven and sprinkle with the lemon juice, cover the skillet tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Cut the chicken into quarters or however you like and serve hot with pan juices, cooked lemon and onions. I spoon some of the juice onto the top of chicken before serving.

As I have posted another chicken cacciatore this recipe is made in the slow cooker and differs from the other one. Check both of them out– this one was a bit labor intensive but in the slow cooker by noon and cooked perfectly on low for 4 hours. It contains bacon and I wouldn’t omit it, you can substitute pancetta if you prefer and I would buy it in the container already chopped to make life easier. The bacon added that layer of flavor it really needed. The mushrooms, bacon and wine add a most perfect layer of flavor . I served over wide egg noodles but polenta would also be a wonderful option or just a hunk of crusty bread to soak up all the delicious juices. I made this on Sunday night and it was perfection on a plate. This recipe will be in rotation this winter as it is a most perfect recipe for the winter.

Big recommendation for this recipe which I got from The NY Times Slow Cooker Recipes. I did make a few changes to the original recipe but you may want to check out the original.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. bacon , preferably thick cut sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup dry red wine — I had a Malbec on hand so it was perfect

1 large yellow onion -thinly sliced

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, thinly sliced

8 ounces jarred roasted red peppers, drained, app. 1 heaping cup

1 can crushed or diced canned tomatoes, 14 oz. can — I used crushed

2 Tablespoons drained capers

1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 -2 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs

Kosher Salt and Coarse Black Pepper

*Grated Parmesan for serving

Directions:

Fry the bacon in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered, app. 8 minutes

Using a slotted spoon remove the bacon and place in the slow cooker which I sprayed first with cooking spray. Add the mushrooms to the fat in the skillet and let them cook down over medium-high heat, stirring only a few times until mushrooms shrink down and releasing their liquid and starting to turn lightly brown, about 8-10 more minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Pour in the red wine and let it come to a bubble, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Scrape the mixture after 10 minutes into the slow cooker.

Add the sliced onion, bell pepper, roasted peppers, can of tomatoes, capers, vinegar, oregano, red-pepper flakes and garlic powder to the slow cooker and stir to combine.

Add the chicken, season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a generous amount of black pepper– probably at least 1/4 teaspoon and maybe a touch more and stir to combine all ingredients and flavors.

Cook on low until the chicken is very tender and the flavors are blended, about 4 1/2 hours. And then you can leave slow cooker on warm for several hours.

I broke up chicken with a wooden spoon into larger chunks at the end. Taste for salt and pepper — I didn’t add any salt or pepper because it tasted perfect.

Serve over pasta or polenta or rice or alone with bread. However you’d like to serve it.

I topped with grated parmesan at the table.

This is so my kind of meal once the weather starts to turn a little colder. It’s made with a store bought rotisserie chicken and this chicken chili is all made in one pot on the stove-top. It’s filling and the different peppers add a wonderful mix of flavors to the chili. You’ll need a large dutch oven sort of pot for this and you’ll have some left overs for sure depending on how many people you’re cooking for.

I crumbled some tortilla chips on top of my chili and added a dollop of sour cream which added to the flavor. Cheese is also a wonderful topping here.

Of course if you hate cilantro you can eliminate it and be careful cutting the peppers, the seeds and ribs in the pepper hold all the heat. It’s your call how spicy you’d like it. I like spicy but don’t really use the seeds and I keep it mild and more family-friendly because you never really know how spicy it can get adding the seeds and ribs. I also use rubber or latex gloves while cutting and be careful not to touch your eyes till you’ve completely washed your hands. If I want heat I can add a shot of Chohula to my own.

This chili does thicken considerably as it sits. If you make it ahead of time, you may want to add broth or water depending on how thick you like it.

Leftovers are great and this chili can be frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat and you may want to add some broth or water to it as well.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth, divided

2 15 oz. cans white beans (cannellini)–drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper , seeded and minced

2 medium poblano peppers, seeded and diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

Kosher Salt to taste

1 Rotisserie chicken, skin removed and shredded

3/4 cup frozen corn

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime

*1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro –we like it a lot but not everyone does I know so just omit it

Optional Toppings:

Sour Cream

Crushed Tortilla Chips

Shredded Pepper Jack or Cheddar Cheese

Lime Wedges

Directions:

Get all ingredients chopped and ready to cook.

In a food processor , blend 1/2 of the beans (1 can) with 1 cup of the chicken broth and set aside with the remaining drained beans

Add the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch Oven and heat it over medium high heat. Add the onions, jalapeño pepper and poblano peppers and cook, stirring frequently until soft about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so, then add the cumin, coriander and ancho chili powder and continue to cook, stirring frequently for another few minutes. Add the Chicken Broth, pureed beans and app. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 20 minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken, reserved whole can of beans, corn and lime juice; bring back to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt . Stir in the chopped cilantro. It will be somewhat soupy still and that’s OK. The longer it sits the thicker it will get. I let it cook for probably an hour or so and If it’s too thick you can add a little water. It’s really a chili so I like it thick but it’s totally up to you how you like it.