And, of
course the abundance of end-of-summer vegetables in
the markets. Zucchinis and other summer squashes,
carrots, potatoes… they all come into their
own in the early fall.
Celebrate
the season with hearty, nutritious meals brimming
with veggies. Try this infused one-pot meal that includes
summer squash, bell peppers and tomatoes in a savory
Italian recipe. It’s a quick and easy way to
throw a weeknight meal together that even works if
you use frozen boneless chicken pieces instead of
fresh, as long as the pieces aren’t frozen together.
Feel free
to substitute different vegetables into the mix; just
try to exchange a green veggie for another green veggie,
a yellow for a yellow, etc. to ensure a variety of
nutrients in your meal.
Chicken
Cacciatore
Servings
4
Ingredients
1/2 med. onion, sliced thinly and separated
1 28-oz. can tomatoes, chop, strain, and save juice
1 tsp. each dried basil, oregano, and marjoram
2 cups orzo *
4 pieces chicken, bone-in or boneless, fresh or frozen
salt and pepper, to taste
6-10 garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1 sm. yellow squash, diagonal slices
1 sm. zucchini, sliced into medallions
1 sm. green pepper, julienne cut
1 sm. red pepper, julienne cut
2 Tbsp. Drained capers, optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Spray the inside of
a 3 1/2 or 4-quart cast iron Dutch oven and lid with
olive oil.
Place onions
in a layer inside the base of the pot. Drain tomatoes
and reserve liquid. In a large measuring cup or a
medium bowl, mix tomato juice with herbs and water
as needed to make 2 cups of liquid. Set 1/2 cup of
herbed liquid aside. Sprinkle the orzo into the pot
among the onion slices. Add the herbed liquid evenly
across the base.
Place chicken
atop orzo. Lightly salt and pepper. Sprinkle with
garlic. Place chopped and drained tomatoes over chicken.
Pile in all other veggies in layers, beginning with
squash. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour saved herbed
liquid over all.
Cover and
bake for 53 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the
aroma wafts from the oven. Be sure that the chicken
is completely cooked before eating any ingredients
from the pot.
Notes
*Orzo is rice-shaped pasta. Butterfly or bowtie pasta
also work well in this meal.
About
the author: Elizabeth Yarnell is a Certified
Nutritional Consultant and the author of Glorious
One-Pot Meals: A new
quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking,
a guide to a guide to preparing quick, healthy and
balanced one-pot meals. Visit Elizabeth online at
www.GloriousOnePotMeals.com
to subscribe to her free newsletter. The Glorious
One-Pot Meal cooking method is unique and holds US
patent 6,846,504.
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