Fusilli alla Cacciatore

This recipe has a lot of elements to it, not only is it inexpensive to make but it is very versatile. You could simply make the sauce and leave the chicken on the bone and serve it with rice, or, you can change the basil for parsley and you'll have a completely diffrerent sensation. I personally tend to use more basil in the winter and more parsley in the summer, especially when it comes to tomato sauces.


Serves 4/5

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 red peppers, 2cm slices

Olive oil

4 chicken thighs, with skin & bone

2x 400g Plum Tomato tins

500g Fusilli pasta

170g Mozzarella bocconcini

Black Olives

Basil

1) Preheat the oven to 220C/ 430F/ gas mark 7.
2) In an oven proof casserole pan, add 1tbsp of olive oil on a medium high heat and add the chicken thighs skin faced down. Leave to sear for 4/5 minutes until slightly golden and do the same for the other side and set it aside on a plate.
3) In the same pan, add 2tbsp of olive oil and add the sliced garlic cloves. After a minute add the sliced red pepper and cover for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the peppers has softened slightly.
4) Then add the plum tomatoes and seasoning to taste, stir well and leave to cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
5) Finely slice the basil, stalks only and add them and the black olives to the sauce, stir well and place the chicken thighs, skin face up, on top of the sauce, leaving the skins uncovered by the sauce.  Cover with the lid and place in the oven for 40/45 minutes.
6) Once the chicken to cooked, remove it from the pan and shred the meat from the bone. Dispose of the bones and add the meat back in the sauce with the rest of the basil and stir well and leave to rest. 7) Meanwhile, following the instructions on the pasta and cook accordingly.
8) Add the drained fusilli and the mozzarella to the sauce and stir enough to let the mozzarella melt. Serve immediately.

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