Today I want to introduce my first guest in the Friends of OMGG section. I met Scot in 1993 while I was living in Evansville attending the University of Southern Indiana. His resume is quite impressive (see below the recipe) and I am honored to have him share his recipes with us! I hope this will be the first of many. I can’t wait to try this recipe and I hope you will too.

Asian Chicken Cacciatore

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 2.5-3hrs (+/- depending if the cat needs to go out, your cd skips, or you’re taking pictures to post on this blog)

• 4 medium sized plums, pitted and quartered
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 large red bell peppers, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 red sweet peppers, sliced into rings
• 4 oz baby carrots (or shortcuts), quartered lengthwise
• 2” ginger, peeled, smashed, and minced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• ½ tbsp sweet garlic thai chili paste

• 4 chicken thighs, on the bone with skin
• 2 tbsp 5 spice powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp salt (I used Real Salt, Natures First – not as salty as say iodized)
• ½ cup rice flour and ½ cup AP flour

• 6 tbsp olive oil, approximately
• ¼ cup chicken stock
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 green onions, cut on a bias

Prepare all the vegetables as directed in section 1 and set aside.

Next, mix together 5 spice, garlic powder and salt. Take 1 TBSP of mixture and sprinkle on the 4 chicken thighs. Then, add the flour to the remaining season mix. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, be sure to coat well.

Place a pot on the stove over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp of oil to hot pan (*Remember when sautéing, hot pan-cold oil). Add chicken thighs and brown both sides for approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the pan along with the vegetables and ingredients from section 1. Cook on med/med high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn the heat down to low and add the chicken on top of the veggies. Add the ¼ cup of chicken stock, cover and cook for 2 hours on low until chicken is tender. Add the green onions and soy sauce to the pot during the last 10 minutes of cooking.

I serve this over basmati rice.

The Chef, Scot Mangold, was educated at Johnson & Wales University Charleston South Carolina. It was in Charleston that he gained a true appreciation for local ingredients and what great food is. He then went to the Scottsdale Princess in Arizona to finish his internship. While there he was the lead sauté cook for their 3-diamond restaurant “the Grill” developing daily lunch specials. Upon his graduation he went to Florida to work and train with the world renowned Chef Paul Albrecht. After leaving Florida, Chef Mangold went on to Colorado where he became the executive chef of three country clubs in and around the Denver, Colorado area. While in Colorado he also did stints with the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, a week at Nashville’s 5 star French restaurant, The Wild Boar, and helped with catering during the PGA golf tournament “The International”. Since returning to Evansville in 2004 he has been Executive Chef for Firefly Southern Grill and Sous Chef for SMG/SAVOR…Catering, doing large scale catering and backstage catering for rock stars and their crews. Currently, he is Vice President of Culinary Operations for Team Service USA. He is the creator of all menu’s and design concepts within the company. Scot oversees catering and concessions aspects for Mesker Park Zoo, Helfrich Golf Course, Central Library, Swonder Ice Rink and Hartke Swimming Pool. During his time with Team Service USA, he won US Foods’ Iron Chef Competition in 2011.