Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is 100% pure Italian rustic comfort food, right down to the braised chicken thighs, drumsticks, and sautéed red peppers with onions. It was cooked to a pure Italian comfort food goodness in San Marzano tomatoes and quality dry red wine.

There are typically many variations of Chicken Cacciatore based on ingredients available in specific regions of Italy. For example, in southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine. In comparison, northern Italian chefs might use white wine instead. Depending on the family recipe, some versions of the entrée may use mushrooms, diced carrots, capers, or even green olives. You will also find that not all recipes for Chicken Cacciatore will contain tomatoes upon visiting Italy.

Now, what is the meaning behind this deliciously comforting Italian recipe?

Cacciatore: (pronounced [kattʃaˈtoːre]) means “hunter” in Italian. In cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal cooked “hunter-style” with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often bell peppers, and sometimes wine.

Our family on my mother’s side, having migrated from the Southern region of Italy and Sicily, tend to use a dry, dark red wine when cooking Chicken Cacciatore. The flavor is unbelievably wonderful with this melt-in-your-mouth family recipe. You could adapt this recipe simply by adding a quality dry white wine if desired.

Being Chicken Cacciatore is a recipe all of its own. Our family enjoys this recipe and creamy polenta, crusty Italian bread, or even garlic mashed potatoes. It is seldom served in our traditional Italian home with pasta. However, this is your dinner. Enjoy it how you wish, is my opinion.

What exactly is braising meat?

Braising meat; is frying choice meat, such as chicken, rabbit, or veal, lightly in olive oil and then stewing it slowly in a Dutch oven or a sizeable heavy-lidded metal pan.

Have you ever braised meat? If not, here are a few tips.

1. Sear the meat: Season the meat on all sides with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour authentic olive oil into a Dutch oven; set over medium-high heat, then add the meat. Don’t overcrowd. Cook for 5 minutes on each side to get deep color all over. Remove the meat from the Dutch oven; set aside till ready.
2. Saute the vegetables: Cook chopped the onions, garlic, and peppers in the pan, with drippings left from searing the meat, stirring frequently. Like the above step, use medium-high heat for cooking the vegetables, careful not to scorch them.
3. Deglaze the Dutch oven: Add the braising liquid, stirring and scraping up any browned bits from the pot’s bottom with a wooden turner. Those little bits will add an explosion of flavor to your recipe.
4. Braising the meat: Return the meat to the Dutch oven with pan juices, wine, etc. The meat should not be completely submerged at the time of cooking. Bring the liquids to a simmer, then cover and slide into a 325-degree oven or maintain 325 degrees on the stovetop.

Chicken Cacciatore

• Four chicken thighs, skin on

• Four chicken legs, skin on

• kosher salt to taste

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging

• Three tablespoons of authentic olive oil

• One large red bell pepper chopped

• One large yellow onion chopped

• Six garlic cloves minced

• 1/2 of a cup of quality dry red wine

• 1 -28-ounce can of diced San Marzano tomatoes with juice

• 1/2 of a cup of reduced-sodium chicken broth

• Two tablespoons of drained capers

• 1/2 teaspoon dried Rosemary

• One tablespoon of dried basil

• red pepper flakes to own taste

• 1/4 of a cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped

Directions

1. Liberally season both sides of the chicken thighs and drumsticks with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

2. Dredge the chicken in all-purpose flour and lightly shake the excess all-purpose flour off.

3. Heat the authentic olive oil over a medium-high flame in a large Dutch oven. Add the chicken to the Dutch oven and cook till just until a light golden brown, about 5-6 minutes on each side.

4. Add the chopped red bell pepper, yellow onion, and minced garlic to the same Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until the onion has softened about 4-5 minutes. You may season with more kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.

5. Next, add the dry red wine and lightly simmer until the dry red wine has reduced by about half, about 4  minutes.

6. Add the San Marzano tomatoes, juice, low-sodium broth, capers, dried Rosemary, dried basil, and red pepper flakes to your taste.

7. Return the chicken thighs and drumsticks to the Dutch oven and flip them a few times to coat the chicken in the sauce.

8. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked, about  35- 40 minutes.

9. Carefully remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and place it in a deep serving dish. Spoon the sauce over chicken pieces and garnish with chopped flat-leaf parsley before serving.

10. It may be served with creamy polenta, pasta, crusty Italian bread, or mashed potatoes.

© Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch, 2020-2013. Unauthorized use and duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author or owner are strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Heidy L. McCallum and The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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