Dinner Tonight; Stewed Tomatoes, Chicken, and Polenta

Also Known as Chicken Caccitore ~You will need

About 8-11 Small Tomatoes (I used the heirloom tomatoes on the vine)

Sun Dried Tomatoes

2 small breasts of chicken cut into cubes

1 small yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

package of portebella mushrooms

polenta

extra virgin olive oil

butter

red wine
whole milk

parmesean cheese

garlic powder

oregano

basil

salt

pepper

*Start with a small sauce pan and add a sprinkling of of extra virgin olive oil at the bottom of the pan and a small slice of butter. Set the temperature to the lowest setting to melt your butter and warm the oil.

*Meanwhile, cut your onion length wise and then into strips thin strips. Add your onions to the warm oil and butter combination and let them cook, stirring occasionally. They should be soft and browning slightly-you can turn up the heat to medium low.

*While your onions are cooking, rinse and cut your tomatoes into quarters. Make sure to keep all of the juices on your cutting board...it makes everything more yummy!

*So, when your onions are nice and soft you'll be adding your tomatoes and their juices into the pot. Cover the pot with a top and turn your heat to medium-high, stirring constantly.

*While your pot is going, slice up about 10 sun dried tomatoes into slices and add them to your pot as well. Add, salt, pepper, spices as preferred and stir.

*In a separate saute pan, start a bit more oil and a bit more butter to a medium-high saute pan. You'll be adding an entire package of sliced baby portebella mushrooms to the warm oil. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and garlic powder to taste. Make sure to let them cook for a bit-about 3-5 minutes before touching them! Gotta let 'em cook.

When your mushrooms are completely cooked-another 5 minutes or so (when they're golden brown) add them to the tomato combination but keep as much oil as possible to the saute pan. Add your wine, stir, and cover your pot. Depending on your stove, you should cook the tomatoes until they turn a rich red color are soft and fragrant. Make sure to taste. I like a lot of spice, so I kept adding them in. It should taste like tomatoes, not salt, though.

Add the cubed chicken to the hot oil and turn temperature up to medium-high. Add the spices and cover to cook. Add more oil to complete cooking and to prevent sticking to the bottom. When your chicken is done cooking-about 10 minutes or so turning frequently. When the chicken is done cooking, add to the tomato sauce. Turn the sauce down to simmer and cook the polenta according to the package instructions.

To the cooked polenta, add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese and pepper to the polenta.

*For plating, add a large spoonful of polenta to the middle of your plate. Add two large spoonfuls of the chicken and tomato sauce directly on top of the polenta. Add grated cheese to top and ENJOY!