Today is a very special day because we are hosting a virtual Italian Themed Baby Shower for Aggie from Aggie’s Kitchen. She is having a sweet baby boy very soon and a couple of her close blogging friends decided to come up with some amazing Italian dishes for this shower. It had been a while since I’ve created a main dish centered around Italian food. Around our house it’s usually grilled food or something with Mexican food. However, I do love a good homecooked pasta meal especially if you make homemade pasta. This past Summer Shaun and I went to Italy and fell in love with all their food. The freshness of it all and it being homemade not processed made the trip and food so much better.
For the shower I wanted to create an old favorite Italian dish called chicken cacciatore. I’ve never made it before but always enjoy eating it when we go out to an Italian restaurant. We were able to eat leftovers for two days and each time we ate this chicken it tasted just like the first time we had it.
I usually come home for lunch and prepare or start to prep for that nights dinner. The chicken was cut up and marinating and the vegetables also got chopped. When I arrived back home I just had to finish cooking the meal but the prep work was done. This meal will definitely be made again in our household.
In a bowl combine the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Coat all sides of the chicken pieces. Cover the chicken and place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
In a dutch oven add the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil. Bring to a medium/high heat and add the chicken. Sear the chicken on all sides until brown. Remove the chicken and place on paper towels.
Add the onions, celery, mushrooms, pancetta to the dutch oven and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken stock and white wine. Bring to a boil.
Add the chicken back to the pot and cook for 20 minutes covered and on medium heat. Uncover the dutch oven and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and top with the sauce.
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We are basically having a feast for Aggie’s baby boy! Please check out the rest of the meals from this Virtual Italian Themed Baby Shower.
Appetizers
Sundried Tomato Hummus from Robyn of Add a Pinch
Melon & Prosicutto Balls from Paula of bell’alimento
Bruschetta from Sheila of Eat2gather
Jalapeno Poppers from Ali of Gimme Some Oven
Grilled Naan White Pizza Bites from Jamie of Mom’s Cooking Club
Watermelon Feta Bites with Basil Olive Oil from Sandy of Reluctant Entertainer
Pesto Caprese Fried Wontons from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Blue Cheese Wedge Salad Crostini from Cheryl of TidyMom
Drinks
Toasted Coconut Milkshakes from Bev of Bev Cooks
Lemon Cream Soda from Angie of Eclectic Recipes
Peach Sorbet Bellini and Spritzers from Shaina of Food for My Family
Non Alcoholic Berry Spritzer from Lisa of Jersey Girl Cooks
Virgin Peach & Raspberry Bellinis from Milisa of Miss in the Kitchen
Italian Basil Sparkling Lemonade from Marly of Namely Marly
Italian Sodas from Laura of Real Mom Kitchen
Cafe Mocha Punch / or Iced Cafe Mocha from Amy of She Wears Many Hats
Salads
Italian Chopped Salad in a Jar {with Creamy Caesar Dressing} from Brenda of a farmgirl’s dabbles
Caprese Salad with Mozzarella Crisps from Christine of Cook the Story
Pesto Pasta Stuffed Tomatoes from Suzanne of Kokocooks
Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad from Liz of The Lemon Bowl
Herbed Israeli Couscous Salad with Tomato and Mozzarella from Rachel of Rachel Cooks
Chickpea, Avocado, & Feta Salad from Maria of Two Peas and Their Pod
Lentil and Chickpea Layered Salad from Lisa of With Style & Grace
Entrees
Chicken Cacciatore from Meagan of A Zesty Bite
Zucchini, Bell Pepper & Edamame Stir-Fry from Cassie of Bake Your Day
Potato-Crusted Vegetarian Quiche with Zucchini, Tomatoes & Feta from Dara of Cookin’ Canuck
“Straw & Hay” Tagliatelle in Cream Sauce from Flavia of Flavia’s Flavors
Grilled Italian Chicken with Veggie & Bow Tie Pasta from Katie of Katie’s Cucina
Grilled Naan Pizza with Summer Veggies & Turkey Sausage from Kelley of Mountain Mama Cooks
Smashed Chickpea and Avocado Panini from Kathy of Panini Happy
Desserts
Fresh Blueberry Shortbread with Lemon Cream Frosting from Sommer of A Spicy Perspective
Crostata di Mango from Lora of Cake Duchess
Italian Ice from Kristen of Dine & Dish
Roasted Banana and Nutella S’mores Bruschetta from Jenny of Picky Palate
Italian Cream Cake from Deborah of Taste and Tell
Panna cotta from Leslie of The hungry housewife
Fortune Cookies from Shari of Tickled Red
Baby Vanilla Bean Scones a la Starbucks from Tara of Unsophisticook
This is so fun and what perfect dish for a baby shower! It looks incredible!
This is perfect! Craving it for dinner!
What a yumtastic dish! I love chicken cacciatore but haven’t made it in forever. Gotta change that soonest!
It’s so fun to be a part of this event with you!
mmm I love making chicken cacciatore! What a perfect dish to bring.
Drooling while looking at the dish… Love chicken cacciatore, yours looks delish!
I love the idea of coming home at lunchtime to do some dinner prep. I work from home and need to remember to take a break in the day and get into the kitchen to make my evenings easier. Your Chicken Cacciatore looks and sounds like a wonderful weeknight (or any night!) meal. So fun being part of this event for Aggie with you!
Looks amazing, Meagan! And so glad you joined us. Thank you so much!!!
HOLY DELICIOUSNESS!!!! Now, this is my kind of dish!
Looks so good! Jealous that you recently went to Italy. I bet it was a fantastic trip!
I’ve never made this dish before, but you’ve convinced me I need to try it. I think my family would really like it! Happy Baby Shower, Aggie!!
A feast is right!! This looks amazing Meagan!! Thank you so much for the sweet surprise, meant the world to me!
I want to make this for my family, sounds so delicious.
xo
Love this dish. Full of flavor and easy to cook. Perfect for a shower!
We have been eating more chicken lately and I can’t wait to give this a try!
I loooove chicken cacciatore…SO GOOD! And it always reminds me of “Marie” from that show Everybody Loves Raymond. š I hope you know what I’m talking about. š
I liked this so much. I might even bookmark this site to revisit.
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Iām seriously going to try this. Like in half an hour.