Chicken Cacciatore

I am a lover of braised meats, whether it be pot roast or short ribs or beef brisket... or the chicken dish I’m sharing with you today. Just give me some meat, a pot with a lid, some combination of liquid ingredients, and I’ll be eating out of your hand... as long as your hand is holding braised meat.

That might have been the weirdest introductory sentence of any recipe I’ve ever posted.

This is a delightful meal, and a comfort food classic. Chicken Cacciatore generally involves browning chicken pieces in a pot over high heat, then sautéing a mix of vegetables—onions, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes—in the same pot. Spices are added, followed by a little wine, and the chicken and veggies are allowed to cook together in the oven long enough for magic to happen...

And magic does happen.

I use chicken thighs for this recipe because I happen to love chicken thighs. But you can use a whole cut up chicken or simply a mix of your favorite pieces. Just be sure to leave the skin on or you’ll regret it the rest of your life.

Not that I’m dramatic or anything.

Let’s make Chicken Cacciatore!

Here’s what you need: salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, flour, chicken, onion, bell peppers, garlic, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, wine, ground thyme, turmeric, Parmesan cheese, and parsley.

And noodles. Gotta have the noodles.

Begin by heating butter and olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.

The start to any good meal!

Generously salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Don’t even think about removing that scrumptious skin.

Dredge both sides of the chicken in flour. Just a light coating is fine.

Place the chicken (four pieces at a time) face down in the sizzling butter/oil mixture…

Brown them on both sides, about a minute on each side.

Remove them to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Halve an onion from root to tip, then cut it into slightly thick slices.

Remember that the veggies will cook in the oven for an hour or so, so you want them to hold together.

Lop off the top and bottom of the pepper, pull out the innards, and cut it in half.

I love saying ‘innards.’ I can’t promise it will be the last time today.

Slice the red pepper into thick slices.

Repeat with green bell peppers.

You can use yellow and orange, too—whatever you have on hand!

Next, slice up some ‘shrooms. Again, not too thin.

And finally, plenty ‘o garlic!

Did you know I have a disorder that causes me to use at least 50% more garlic than is probably recommended or necessary?

It’s the rebel in me, man.

After you remove the chicken from the pot, pour off half the oil/butter mixture to keep the dish from being too greasy. Then throw the onions and peppers into the pan.

Stir them around and cook them for a minute over high heat…

Then throw in the ‘shrooms.

Stir them around and cook for a minute.

It’s not important that the vegetables get done at this stage, of course, since we’ll be cooking them in the oven shortly.

Next comes ground thyme…

And another disorder of mine…

TURMERIC.

I apologize for the all caps, but it was the only way I could convey the expression on my face:

Eyes wide
Right eyebrow raised
Tongue out
Mouth drooling

I love turmeric.

Have I mentioned I’m fond of turmeric?

But that’s nothing compared to my love for turmeric.

Now, into the hot skillet goes 3/4 cup of wine…and okay, 1 cup.

Let it cook and boil/bubble for about 30 seconds.

Then add a large can of tomatoes, juice and all. I used whole because it’s what I had in the pantry, but if you prefer not to have the large chunks of tomatoes, go ahead and used the diced variety.

If you do use whole, squeeze or otherwise break up the tomatoes a bit.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook for another minute, then go ahead and add the chicken—skin side up—to the pot.

Don’t totally submerge the chicken; keep the skin above the surface so it’ll retain its golden brown color and crispy skin.

Cover the pot now and place it into a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, reach into the oven with a mitt and remove the lid. Crank up the the temp to 375, then cook it for another 15 or 20 minutes. This’ll allow the top of the chicken—and the veggies, for that matter—to get a little more sizzly and colorful.

And…here it is.

Chicken Cacciatore!

But we’re not quite ready to serve yet.

First, remove the chicken and set it on a clean (and preferably warm) plate.

Next, remove as many vegetables as you can with a large slotted spoon. Place ’em in a bowl and keep ’em warm.

After that, set the pot back on the stove and bring the remaining liquid to a boil. This’ll thicken it up a little and intensify the flavor.

Note that this step is not mandatory. If you’d rather just pull the pot out of the oven and dig right in, it’ll still be delicious.

But I like this step. This step is my friend.

(Just be sure to taste it and add a little salt and pepper if it needs it.)

I went with egg noodles this time because I like the whole comfort food angle of Chicken Cacciatore. But feel free to use linguine, spaghetti, or any pasta that makes your skirt fly up. Drain it and heap it on to a platter.

Spoon the vegetables over the top…

Then arrange the chicken pieces.

Next, spoon the reduced and thickened sauce over the whole thing. No need to add it all—just eyeball it and add the amount you think it needs. You’ll want to add enough that it moistens the pasta below, but not so much that it’s positively swimming in liquid.

Yum. How good does this look?

Next, sprinkle on a little chopped parsley for some herbaceous freshness.

Then—and this is the great part—use a great big spoon to serve up individual portions. You should be able to get one helping in one large spoonful: chicken, noodles, veggies, and all!

A little sprinkling of grated Parmesan won’t hurt.

Neither will a little extra sauce.

Repeat after me:

If some is good, more is better…if some is good, more is better…if some is good, more is better…

Enjoy this, my friends!

(And go with the chicken thighs. You’ll be so glad you did.)

Here’s the handy printable: