CHICKEN CACCIATORE BY PREEYA ALEXANDER
I throw extra veggies into my cacciatore because I want to make a single meal that ticks all the boxes; while it’s not traditional, you won’t need any extra rainbows on the side. I serve this dish with wholemeal couscous for the extra fibre (I’m thinking about reducing heart disease and bowel cancer risk) – but you can serve it with rice, bread or pasta; they all work.
SERVES 4
Trends, culture and exclusive features: Sign up for 7LIFE newsletters 
6 chicken thighs (my preference is skin off, bone in)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 red capsicum, sliced
1 carrot, sliced into rounds
8 button mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup red wine or chicken stock (for an alcohol-free version)
1 cup pitted green olives
800 g can diced tomatoes
400 g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, to serve
couscous, rice or bread, to serve
1. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper as desired and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan. Sear the chicken for 3 minutes on each side so it gets a golden glow. Remove from the pan. (I know this seems like an extra step, but it makes the chicken yummier at the end – pinkie promise.)
2. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary and fry for 1–2 minutes. Add the capsicum, carrot, mushrooms and oregano and fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened.
3. Add the red wine or chicken stock, and green olives.
4. Once the wine is reduced slightly, after 4–5 minutes, add the tomatoes. Return the chicken to the pan (nestle it into that tomato-ey goodness) and allow it to simmer for 40–45 minutes.
5. About 10 minutes before the end of cooking time, stir through the cannellini beans – this ensures they don’t fall apart completely but soak up some of the flavour. 6. Serve with fresh parsley on top, on a bed of couscous, rice, bread or whatever you like. Nerd win: Cannellini beans count in your veggie intake (and a can costs just $1). Throwing beans into any meal (bolognese sauce, for instance) can be a great way to bump up the veg without busting the wallet.
FOR INFANTS AND KIDS
• To make this suitable for kids, it’s safest to remove the red wine. You are cooking it for a while, so it’s likely a super-low quantity of alcohol left at the end, but I’ll leave that decision to you because you’re a big kid and you’ve got this.
• I’ve fed this dish to both my children from when they were about 9 months old. I’d mash the chicken and vegetables with a fork and stir it through the couscous. Now they eat it as is.
• Aim to use low-salt canned tomatoes.
• Chop the olives into quarters for little ones due to the choke risk.
To access her book, click here
