Chicken Cacciatore over Noodles

This is comfort food at its finest for all of us. And a little Chianti served with it adds an additionally pleasant "There, there." Yes, it's a dish I serve on special occasions.

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour seasoned
with salt and pepper for dusting
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 pound mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp cloth and halved or quartered if large
1 green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine
16 ounce can plum tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth or canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound boiled yolk-free egg noodles
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Coat the chicken pieces with the flour and shake them in a strainer to get rid of the excess. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Add half the chicken, saute it for 3 to 4 minutes or until it is lightly browned on all sides, and transfer it to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Repeat the procedure with the remaining chicken.

Add the onion and the garlic to the skillet and cook over moderately low heat for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the mushrooms, green pepper, and thyme or rosemary and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the wine, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, and chicken broth and simmer the mixture for 30 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 3 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Stir in the parsley and salt and pepper to taste, and serve each portion over a mound of yolk-free egg noodles.

Nutritional Analysis per serving. 445 calories; 19% calories from fat; 9 grams of fat; 382 milligrams of sodium

Source: Joan Lunden’s Healthy Cooking by Joan Lunden and Laura Morton