Chicken Cacciatore and Rice

McCormick produces these pre-measured spices and recipe cards for a buck or two a pop. I'm using one tonight to make Chicken Cacciatore and Rice. Recipe below is from the back of the card and I included the pre-measured spices and amount.

1/2 teaspoon Coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Minced garlic
1 teaspoon Marjoram leaves
1/2 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Rosemary Leaves
1/2 teaspoon Thyme leaves
^ all included in the McCormick spice card

1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 lb chicken cut it into 1" cubes
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper cut into strips
1 can diced tomatoes (substituting a can of stewed tomatoes)
8 oz. tomato sauce

1) Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add 1 cup rice. Keep eye on it and take off heat when done.
2) Mix flour, salt and pepper in dish. Coat chicken evenly with mixture.
3) Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from skillet. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in skillet and add mushrooms, onions, bell peppers; cook and stir for 5 minutes on med-high heat or until tender.
4) Stir in remaining ingredients and spices. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Return chicken to skillet, Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Serve over cooked pasta or rice as desired.

After Dinner report:

The presentation looked beautiful. Unfortunately, while still edible and tasted ok, the cacciatore suffered. In my amateur eagerness, I didn't let things settle and cook long enough, so the onions were still crunchy and sharp, the pepper raw and snappish. While the chicken was done, I breaded it while wet, so the texture wasn't quite right, though it at least was cooked through. I am a little disappointed in my efforts tonight, because cacciatore is one of my favorite Italian meals. Again, while it was edible and tasty, I didn't come close to capturing the goo tastes it deserved.

However, with every low, there is a high. I've had two great dishes, 1 average dish and now this one, since I've been on this discovery of Italian cooking and the odds are still on my side. So, I'll chalk this up as a lesson learned and try again either tomorrow night or the night after.