Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore }

Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore } looks very impressive on the dinner table, but it’s simple and easy to make. All you’ll need to make this delicious tasting Hunter-Style Chicken is chicken thighs, flour, olive oil, onions, chopped red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, green olives, fresh minced garlic, red wine, chicken stock, thyme, fresh basil, a touch of oregano, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore } is an old traditional Italian dish that combines the harvests of local gardens and the surrounding forests of Italy. However, there are many authentic versions of this popular rustic chicken dish, depending on Italy you are visiting. If you are making Chicken cacciatore in Southern Italy,  red wine is most likely used in the sauce, and if you were visiting  Northern Italy, you might find they tend to use white wine. You may also notice a rabbit being used instead of chicken in this dish.

 

Did you know not all Chicken Cacciatore recipes have tomatoes in it, and that it was a traditional Italian dish that hunters could easily make in the field if they needed to cook a meal? That is why you will find some recipes on Pinterest or the web vastly differ. I like using tomatoes in mine, so my recipe will call for tomatoes today, you all.

Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore } is more of what I would call a chicken stew with chicken, sautéed veggies, garlic, and herbs as a base. I like using red or green peppers to give my Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore } an extra layer of flavor.

 

 

 

 

Some of the ingredients that may have been modernized from the early Renaissance period, when the only Italian people who could afford poultry or the sport of hunting were the well-to-do upper-class, which brings me to one question? Why was a chicken/turkey so expensive to eat? Couldn’t the average person afford to make bullets? I find the story hard to believe. Indeed they could have used a simple bow and arrow, couldn’t they? Points I will be pondering for the rest of this blog post, I imagine.

Back to my original point of the ingredients being modernized over time, some of the items I believe to be upgraded are flour, tomatoes, and maybe even the peppers. I would think since food was more simple and down to earth in the Renaissance period, these items may be a later addition to the recipe when it was handed down to each generation. I mean, I don’t see a Hunter dragging a big burlap bag of peppers, tomatoes, and flour off on his hunting excursion, do you? One will never know, though

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunter-Style Chicken {Chicken Cacciatore }

•  Four pounds of chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on

• One cup of all-purpose flour

• Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil + more if needed

• One medium onion, chopped

• One red bell pepper, seeded, chopped

• Five garlic cloves, minced

• 1/3  of a cup of quality red wine *Only use wine that you would drink*

• 1/4 of a cup of chicken stock

• One- 28 -ounce can of Organic diced plum tomatoes + the juice

• Ten green olives

• Two teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme

• Two teaspoons of fresh chopped oregano

• Two teaspoons of fresh chopped basil +more if desired

• kosher salt to own taste

• freshly ground pepper to own taste

 

 

 

 

Instructions

1. Rinse the chicken thighs and pat them dry.

2. Season the chicken thighs on all sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Place 1 cup of all-purpose flour on a plate, dredge the chicken thighs in the all-purpose flour, evenly coating the chicken thighs.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large metal large skillet over medium heat, then place the chicken thighs skin side down in the metal skillet.

5. Cook the chicken thighs until lightly browned, about 7 minutes, then turn them over and lightly brown the other sides of the chicken thighs.

6. Remove the chicken thighs from the metal skillet with tongs and place on a clean plate, set aside.

7. Drain off most of the chicken oil or fat from the metal skillet,  leaving about two tablespoons of the rendered fat, just enough to coat the bottom of the metal skillet.

8. Add the chopped onions, chopped red bell peppers. Cook the veggies until the onions are translucent, and the red bell peppers have softened about 8- 10 minutes. Add the minced garlic to the metal skillet and cook 1-2 minutes.

9. Add the red wine to deglaze the metal skillet, which will remove all the little bits in the bottom of the pan to give another layer of flavor. Simmer until the wine has reduced itself by about half.

10. Next, add the chicken broth, canned diced plum tomatoes + juice, green olives, chopped thyme, oregano, basil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black peppers to own taste.

11. Reduce heat to low and slowly simmer uncovered for about 6-7 minutes.

12. Place the braised chicken thighs on top of the tomatoes and onion mixture, making sure the skin side is up.

13. Cook on low heat for about 20 minutes uncovered, then 15 minutes covered.

14. Serve while hot with favorite pasta, couscous, or even rice if desired.

15. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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