Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 6 to 8
Active Time: 40-60 minutes (depending on how efficient of a sous chef you are)
Start to Finish: 4-5 hours
Ingredients:
2/3c dry white wine
1/3c broken dried procini mushrooms (1/4 oz)
4lb Cage-Free, Organic, boneless chicken thighs
1/4c extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4lb sliced pancetta, chopped
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery hearts, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 (20 oz) can whole or diced tomatoes in juice (can use tomatoes that have added basil and garlic if you prefer extra spices!)
1 (6-inch) rosemary sprig
1 California Bay Leaf
1/2c pitted Kalamata olives
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the middle.
2. Bring wine to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Stir in porcini mushrooms and remove from heat.  (This will rehydrate them)
3. Rinse and pat chicken thighs dry, seasoning with 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wide 6-8 qt heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken thighs, turning every 7-8 minutes.
4. Transfer chicken to a plate.  Discard fat from pot and add remaining 2 tbsp oil.  Add pancetta and saute over medium-high heat until it begins to brown.  Add onions, shallots, and saute until softened, about 8 minutes.
5. Drain porcini mushrooms in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing on mushrooms and reserving wine.  Coarsely chop porcini mushrooms and add to pancetta mixture with carrots, celery and garlic.  Saute until softened, about 8 minutes.  Stir in wine and cook until most has evaporated, about 2 minutes.
6. Add tomatoes with all juice and let simmer, stirring occasionally for approximately 15 minutes.  Add chicken with meat juices from plate, rosemary, bay leaf, and olives.  Cover pot and let slow cook in oven, turning meat occasionally until meat is fork-tender, 2 3/4-3 hours.
Enjoy and serve with fresh salad or blanched broccoli.  If you’re not strict paleo, an excellent addition to this dish is polenta.  For more serving options or to create same meal with using a veal shoulder roast, email analisa@focusedtrainers.com .