Chicken Cacciatore

inChicken & Poultry Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Double Duty Recipes, Italian Recipes, Pasta Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes
  • YIELDS | 4-6 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 15 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 60-90 MINS

Cacciatore means “hunter style” in Italian, and this savory, slow-cooked dish features chicken with loads of peppers, tomatoes, wine, garlic, and fresh herbs. The bacon adds a smoky flavor and mixes beautifully with the vegetables to create this simply delicious simmered stew. I serve this over thick spaghetti but any pasta will do.

Double Duty Recipe: Make a double batch of the cacciatore and spread on top of toasted Italian bread topped with mozzarella. Broil for one minute and cut into bite-size pieces. Serve warm as an appetizer with your weekend cocktails.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound bacon, chopped
  • 1 pound button or cremini mushrooms, rinsed, trimmed and sliced
  • 6 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
  • 4 ounce can tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
  • 1/2 large red onion, cut length wise and then thinly sliced
  • 1 each small red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, coarsely chopped
  • 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons capers, drained
  • 1 tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • A few sprigs fresh basil, chiffonade for garnish
  • 1 pound thick spaghetti, cooked for serving
  • 1/2-3/4 cups Parmesan, grated, for serving

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Fry the bacon in a large oven-proof pot with lid or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate and set aside, leaving the fat. Add the onions and stir until slightly browned.
  4. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate.
  5. Add the mushrooms to the fat in the Dutch oven and cook over medium-high, stirring a few times, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and lightly brown, about 10-12 minutes.
  6. Add the chopped garlic and stir until fragrant.
  7. Pour in the wine or broth into the mushroom mixture and let it come to a simmer. Scrape the browned bits up from the bottom of the pot.
  8. Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, capers, oregano, red-pepper flakes and stir to combine.
  9. Add the chicken, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few good cranks of fresh pepper and stir.
  10. Put the pot in the oven on the middle rack. Cook on low until the chicken is very tender and the flavors are blended, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
  11. Remove the chicken from the pot and on a large cutting board, using two forks, break the chicken up into large chunks. Add the chicken back into the pot and stir in the parsley, add more salt and pepper if necessary.
  12. Serve over spaghetti and garnish with basil and Parmesan.