Get the Recipe: Classic Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian recipe, with wonderfully tender chicken, vegetables and a delicious tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 oz button cremini mushrooms
- 4 chicken breasts or 6-8 chicken thighs, bone-in/skin on
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red or white wine, or you can substitute chicken broth
- 1 cup red, orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup carrot, thinly sliced or diced
- 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes hand-crushed
- 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped *see Note 1 for substituting dried herbs
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
To finish:
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
- Additional chopped fresh parsley, 3-4 Tbsp
- 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar OR black olives OR capers, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven on the stove-top over medium heat. Add a tsp of olive oil and add the mushrooms. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook, stirring regularly, until browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan add a bit more oil to heat. Season the chicken with a bit of salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the hot pan, skin side down. Cook until the skin is quite golden, then flip over and cook a couple of minutes more. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Spoon off and discard excess fat in the pan (but keep any browned bits!). Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook another minute or so. Add the tomato paste and stir in. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute, until it darkens slightly. Add the wine to the pot. Allow to boil 1 1/2-2 minutes, to cook off the alcohol and reduce by about 1/2.
- Add the bell pepper, carrot, cooked mushrooms and crushed tomatoes to the pot. Add the herbs and a bit of salt and pepper, and stir well. Return the chicken to the pan, pressing the chicken down into the sauce a bit. COVER pot with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to gently simmer about 20 minutes. Remove cover, flip chicken over, return the cover and simmer another 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to 165F internal temperature. (Breasts will take longer than thighs to cook.
- Remove the lid and flip the chicken over again, so the skin side is up. Gently stir in the butter and additional fresh parsley. If you like, you can add some black olives or capers at this point as well. Allow to cook another few minutes to warm, then taste the sauce and add additional salt, as needed. (If the sauce tastes flat, it needs salt!) Add a little freshly ground pepper, as well, if you like.
If you don't have a lid for your pan, you can use foil tightly wrapped on the top of the pan or even a large baking sheet that you place over the top of the pan (make sure it covers the entire top of the pan
Notes
1. You can replace the fresh herbs with dried by using about 1/3 of the amount specified for fresh (so 1 Tbsp dried parsley,
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for about 2 days, or you can freeze the cooked dish for 2-3 months.
Tips!
Salt! There are so many great ingredients in cacciatore, but sometimes, after all the cooking, you may find that the taste is a little ... flat. If you have that experience, you need more salt! Unless you are using bacon or pancetta, there are no salty elements in this dish, so be generous with the salt to really bring out all the great flavours.
Be sure to read the notes above this Recipe Card for more tips on making this recipe. You will also find Step-by-Step photos there, as well, that you might find helpful.
Calories: 522kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 45g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 119mg, Sodium: 484mg, Potassium: 1612mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 7561IU, Vitamin C: 77mg, Calcium: 137mg, Iron: 5mg
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