So what if it's Valentine's Day

It is just another day, or at least to me it is. I decided that we should not do anything fancy on this day. Afterall, we never really celebrated V days together in the past 7 years because of OCT's oversea study. Though we are together this year, I decided we should not give this day any special attention than any other day.

We had Chicken Cacciatore with roasted herb-potatoes, and brocolli for dinner tonight. Chicken Cacciatore is an Italian dish, which means chicken cooked in the "hunter's style". Seriously, I have no idea of how a hunter cooks. But the recipe seems easy enough to follow, and the name sounds cool. Not to mention, I have lots of chicken thighs to get rid of!

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

4 chicken thighs
2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.
In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side.
If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches.
Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano.
Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a simmer.
Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter.
If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

4 Servings

Though it's just another day, I believe a little gift exchange wouldn't hurt....

From Man to Hong: Heart-shaped egg sandwich, idea courtesy of leeyy.

From Hong to Man: Starbucks card. (so that I don't have to pay when I indulge in my cafe mocha + other goodies when I visit Starbucks alone next time!)