Quick Chicken Cacciatore

My quick version of Chicken Cacciatore hits all the marks on flavor, but in less than half the time of the more traditional version.  I've sped things up by using boneless skinless chicken thighs to cook quickly, anchovy paste to add extra flavor, switched out regular canned plum tomatoes for canned cherry tomatoes that add a little extra sweetness and cook down more quickly, and swapped out white wine for red wine to add flavor.  I suggest using a quick-cooking side, like orzo pasta.  It's just a few tweaks to save you time!

Quick Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 15 oz. can cherry tomatoes (stewed tomatoes will work if you can't find whole canned cherry tomatoes)
• salt& pepper, to taste

Serves 3 - 4
Cook Time: 40 minutes

​Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat;  generously salt & pepper both sides of the chicken thighs.  Pan sear each side of chicken until golden brown and crispy, but do not worry about cooking through; this may take two batches, do not crowd the chicken or it will steam and not brown well.  Remove browned chicken and set aside.  Not having the skin on will make the chicken want to stick to the pan more than the usual method, but be patient and the skinless chicken will release.
Sauté onion and pepper in Dutch oven to soften; add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Add both anchovy and tomato paste, toss vegetables to coat and cook for another minutes.  Deglaze with wine and allow alcohol to cook off.  Add cherry tomatoes and stir to combine.
Add chicken back to pot, cover and let cook until chicken cooks through to 165.  Once chicken is cooked through remove from pan and let rest.  Add capers to sauce and serve the sauce over the chicken.  Garnish with chopped basil or parsley.
This goes great with orzo, which cooks quickly.