Italian cooks call this “Pollo Alla Cacciatora” – a variation of “Chicken Caccatore” that’s made with bacon for a deeper, heartier flavor.  I like to serve this with Barilla whole grain fettuccine, which really soaks up the sauce.  I know I am adding carbs, but a hard crusty bread would go great with this dish along with a salad.  I was surprised how elegant this dish was because of the simplicity of  the recipe and ingredients.  I chose sliced mushrooms for this purpose, but you could always cut up some baby bellas or do a combination.  Sliced mushrooms actually don’t cost more because you get more useable mushrooms in the 8 ounce package!  If you are not a fan of dark meat just cook this dish with bone in breasts.

Hunter-Style Chicken

¼ C olive oil

1(3 pound) whole chicken cut into parts

6 slices cob smoked bacon

1 large sweet onion shopped

1-8oz. package pre-sliced mushrooms

2T chopped fresh parsley

2T chopped fresh basil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 C sherry

6-7 ripe plum tomatoes chopped

Pat chicken pieces dry. Salt and pepper the pieces and put them on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap and place them in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare other ingredients.

Heat oil in large skillet that has a cover or Dutch oven.  Brown chicken on both sides in hot oil then remove from the skillet.  Take out all but a tsp. of oil.  Add the bacon and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the onions and mushrooms until the onion is translucent.  Put the chicken back into the skillet.  Add the wine, tomato, and herbs .  Cover and simmer 25 to 30 minutes turning chicken once while cooking.  Remove chicken from skillet and poor sauce over the meat.  Serve over whole grain fettuccine.