Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta

The original recipe defeats the purpose of a slow cooker for me, namely, that it calls for briefly cooking the chicken and some of the vegetables on the stove in advance. I've simplified the recipe with good results, though it still involves some minor advance cooking on the stove.

And while I really LOVE the polenta with this recipe (neither rice nor pasta seem to blend as well with it), re-heating requires some effort (added water and mixing) to try to return it to its original state (and still falls short).

Photo from Cooking Light

INGREDIENTS
Main Dish

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• ~1 lb skinless, boneless chicken (your choice of bird section)
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped red bell pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
• 1 x 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 Tbsp capers
• Not critical, but I decided to be adventurous with a new ingredient. They were located among the olives and other canned Italian delicacies.
• 1.5 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper 
• 3/4 tsp salt

Polenta

• 1 cup polenta
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Main Dish

1. Heat a large skillet on medium with olive oil.
2. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 4 minutes. 
3. Add wine, and bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes.  
4. Combine skillet contents, along with the remaining non-chicken ingredients, in the slow cooker. Place chicken on top.
5. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours, shredding the chicken at that time, and then let it simmer on low for ~30 min.

Polenta 

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.
2. Whisk in 1 cup of polenta and 1 tsp salt.
3. Turn down the heat and stir until the polenta is suspended/no longer settling on the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, at a bare simmer.
4. Stir in 3 Tbsp butter and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

 
Recipes via Cooking Light (main dish) and Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food (polenta)