Chicken Cacciatore Manicotti
Take that leftover chicken cacciatore and turn it into another fabulous meal!
Ingredients
For the chicken cacciatore
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs fat trimmed
- Olive oil for cooking
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 large yellow onion sliced thinly in half moons
- 2 red bell peppers orange works too – sliced and cut slices in half
- 1 lb cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup red wine any dry red wine will do – don’t use sweet
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste OR ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 – 28oz can whole plum or San Marzano tomatoes crush by hand or with kitchen shears
For the filling:
- 12 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
- 5 oz baby spinach chopped very fine
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves chopped very fine
- ½ bunch fresh parsley leaves chopped very fine
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Shredded mozzarella or Italian mixed cheeses
For the manicotti:
- Manicotti shells Jumbo shells, no-boil lasagna sheets, or oven ready lasagna sheets *See step 5 of directions
- Prepared or homemade marinara sauce
Instructions
- In a wide and deep skillet with a fitting lid, heat the olive oil to medium high. Season your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Cook them in batches 3-4 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- If needed, add another 1-2 Tablespoons more oil, then add in the onions and bell peppers and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Then add in the mushrooms, garlic and another pinch of salt and pepper. Cook down another 5-7 minutes till reduced in size by about half. Add in the Italian seasoning and oregano before adding in all the red wine and letting this cook down for another 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the tomato paste or sauce, then the can of tomatoes. Stir everything together well, then tuck all the chicken back into the sauce. Let this cook partially covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the chicken is tender and falls apart easily.
- Once the chicken is done you can eat with pasta the first day and use the leftovers for the manicotti which is what I tend to do. Or you can make the manicotti right away.
- To make the manicotti, mix together the ricotta, egg, salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic, spinach, basil and parsley. Mix well and set aside. Chop up the chicken cacciatore and set aside. Prepare your pasta of choice. If using manicotti or jumbo shells, boil the pasta according to package directions. If using fresh lasagna sheets, no preparation is needed. If using oven ready lasagna sheets, boil for 5 minutes before using.
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix together 2 cups marinara sauce with ¾ cup water to dilute it. Place a couple ladlefuls on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
- To make the manicotti with fresh or oven ready lasagna sheets, place some of the ricotta mixture on one short side, top it with the cacciatore, then a sprinkle of shredded cheese. Roll it to the other side tucking gently as you go and place it in the baking dish seam side down.
- To make the manicotti with jumbo shells or manicotti pasta, it may help to mix the filling components together then fill the pasta.
- Once your baking dish is full, top with more of the marinara sauce then a generous sprinkle of shredded cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is nice and bubble. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!