The Weekday Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore, or Hunter’s Chicken, is traditionally made with bone-in chicken stewed for an hour or more. It’s worth the wait if you have the time, but who does on a weeknight?

This version uses pieces of boneless chicken thighs to reduce cooking time without sacrificing flavor.

White button mushrooms work well, but you can also try brown Italian, porcini or shiitake mushrooms. Cook a 12-ounce bag of egg noodles, toss the noodles with 2 tablespoons of butter and serve alongside the chicken.

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Place mat, plate and napkin from Crate & Barrel.

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Chicken Cacciatore

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Serve over buttered noodles.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skin-on chicken thighs, each thigh cut in half crosswise

Salt, pepper

2 tablespoons flour

3 shallots, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound sliced mushrooms

1 (14-ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess flour.

Brown the chicken in the oil, turning once or twice, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and any remaining flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add the mushrooms and broth and bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the thyme and cook 1 more minute.

4 servings. Each serving: 406 calories; 291 mg sodium; 128 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 40 grams protein; 1.91 grams fiber.

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MENU

Green Salad

Chicken Cacciatore

Buttered Noodles

Ripe Pears

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STAPLES

Butter

Chicken broth

Flour

Garlic

Olive oil

Shallots

Tomato paste

Red wine vinegar

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SHOPPING LIST

Boneless chicken thighs

Endive or other crisp lettuce

1 pound sliced mushrooms

1 (12-ounce) package wide egg noodles

Ripe pears

Fresh thyme

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COUNTDOWN

30 minutes before: Cut up chicken, chop shallots, mince garlic, mince thyme.

25 minutes before: Begin cooking chicken, boil water for noodles.

10 minutes before: Cook noodles.

5 minutes before: Wash lettuce and whisk together olive oil and vinegar for dressing.

Just before serving: Add enough dressing to lettuce to coat lightly and season to taste. Toss noodles with butter; finish chicken.

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Quick Fix Video on the Web

Now you can watch a Quick Fix dish being prepared in a weekly video on The Times Web site. Times Test Kitchen Director Donna Deane demonstrates the key steps of this week’s Quick Fix recipe. Also, take a quick video tour of the new Times Test Kitchen. Check it out: www.latimes.com/food