Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish typically made with chicken, mushrooms, onions, garlic and various spices including thyme, parsley, and oregano and served over pasta or rice. It’s referred to as a “hunters stew” and in the past has also been know to be made with rabbit.

Though not traditional, more modern preparations of the dish include chopped tomatoes which results in a sauce instead of the gravy that the chicken on its own produces.

Chicken Cacciatore
from Martha Stewart
1-1/2 3-pound chickens, cut into 12 pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms or white mushrooms, quartered
2 large onions, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 large bell peppers (preferably 1 red and 1 green), sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 28-ounce can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 14 1/2-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
3/4 pound linguine
Coarse salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley (optional)

~ Remove skin from chicken; halve breasts crosswise; you will have 6 pieces of dark meat and 6 pieces of light meat.

~ Heat a deep 10-inch skillet or 6-quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add half the chicken pieces; cook until browned, about 8 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

~ In same pan, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms; cook on medium-high, stirring, until softened and browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

~ Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to pan; add onions, peppers, and garlic; cook on medium-high, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 4 minutes.

~ Pour in wine; bring to a boil. Cook until almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth; return chicken to pan. Simmer, turning occasionally, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 hour. Stir in mushrooms.

~ Cook linguine in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain; serve with chicken and sauce.

[image: flickr]