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 Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. The fiery
glory of the leaves during my college years in Maine. The alpenglow on the mountainsides
near my home in the Rockies. Pumpkin patches
and fresh apple cider straight from the press. Thanksgiving, the most important
holiday tradition in my family, and all of the annual rituals of the harvest.
And, of course the abundance of end-of-summer vegetables in
the markets. Zucchinis and other summer squashes, carrots, potatoes… they all
come into their own in the early fall. Celebrate the season with hearty, nutritious meals brimming
with veggies. Try this infused one-pot meal that includes summer squash, bell
peppers and tomatoes in a savory Italian recipe. It’s a quick and easy way to
throw a weeknight meal together that even works if you use frozen boneless
chicken pieces instead of fresh, as long as the pieces aren’t frozen together.
Feel free to substitute different vegetables into the mix;
just try to exchange a green veggie for another green veggie, a yellow for a
yellow, etc. to ensure a variety of nutrients in your meal.
Chicken Cacciatore
Servings 4
Ingredients
1/2
med. onion, sliced thinly and separated
1
28-oz. can tomatoes, chop, strain, and save juice
1
tsp. each dried basil, oregano, and marjoram
2
cups orzo *
4
pieces chicken, bone-in or boneless, fresh or frozen
salt
and pepper, to taste
6-10
garlic cloves, peeled & chopped
1
sm. yellow squash, diagonal slices
1
sm. zucchini, sliced into medallions
1
sm. green pepper, julienne cut
1
sm. red pepper, julienne cut
2
Tbsp. Drained capers, optional
Instructions
Preheat
oven to 450 degrees F. Spray the inside of a 3 1/2 or 4-quart cast iron Dutch
oven and lid with olive oil.
Place
onions in a layer inside the base of the pot. Drain tomatoes and reserve
liquid. In a large measuring cup or a medium bowl, mix tomato juice with herbs
and water as needed to make 2 cups of liquid. Set 1/2 cup of herbed liquid
aside. Sprinkle the orzo into the pot among the onion slices. Add the herbed
liquid evenly across the base.
Place
chicken atop orzo. Lightly salt and pepper. Sprinkle with garlic. Place chopped
and drained tomatoes over chicken. Pile in all other veggies in layers,
beginning with squash. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour saved herbed liquid over
all.
Cover
and bake for 53 minutes, or until 3 minutes after the aroma wafts from the
oven. Be sure that the chicken is completely cooked before eating any
ingredients from the pot.
Notes
*Orzo
is rice-shaped pasta. Butterfly or bowtie pasta also work well in this meal.
About
the author: Elizabeth Yarnell (www.GloriousOnePotMeals.com
) is a Certified Nutritional
Consultant and the author of Glorious
One-Pot Meals: A new quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking,
a guide to a guide to preparing
quick, healthy and balanced one-pot meals. She is also a mother
of two preschoolers and an MS survivor. The
Glorious One-Pot Meal cooking method is unique and holds US patent 6,846,504.
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