Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore was a family staple in our house growing up. The smells it sends through the house are right up there with chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. This was my favorite meal growing up and now I share it with my own family. It is best on a crisp fall day or cold winter evening. This recipe is one that has been passed down over the years from generations who didnt rely on recipes, so go with your senses when cooking! Serve with a good bottle of red wine, a small salad, and a good, crusty loaf of sourdough bread and you'll have yourself a great meal Buon Appetito!
Chicken Cacciatore was a family staple in our house growing up. The smells it sends through the house are right up there with chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. This was my favorite meal growing up and now I share it with my own family. It is best on a crisp fall day or cold winter evening. This recipe is one that has been passed down over the years from generations who didnt rely on recipes, so go with your senses when cooking! Serve with a good bottle of red wine, a small salad, and a good, crusty loaf of sourdough bread and you'll have yourself a great meal Buon Appetito!
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 6-8 pieces chicken (legs and thighs are best)
- flour for coating
- salt and pepper for taste
- sauce (adjust accordingly if you use more chicken)
- chopped up celery (2-3 stalks)
- parsley (a small bunch)
- 1 yellow onion
- 5-6 cloves garlic
- dried basil (1 tsp. or so)
- rosemary (a couple stems chopped or 1 tsp. or so d
- 4-5 sliced mushrooms (optional)
- 1/3 – 1/4 cup red wine (don’t worry for kids the alcohol cooks out)
- Carbohydrate 4.99155252873563 g
- Cholesterol 76.6666666666667 mg
- Fat 15.4649213793103 g
- Fiber 0.55460116178688 g
- Protein 19.6441254022989 g
- Saturated Fat 4.42487754789272 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (131g)
- Sodium 84.9369498922414 mg
- Sugar 4.43695136694875 g
- Trans Fat 1.32951513409962 g
- Calories 242 calories
Step-by-step
- Use skinless chicken pieces (you can do bone-in or boneless – I find the bone adds more flavor to the sauce – I normally cook six to eight pieces, but you can adjust everything for the size of your crowd! However, make sure you don’t crowd the chicken in the pan as you will want it to brown – if they are too crowded they will just steam).
- Fill a freezer size zip lock bag with flour, salt, and pepper to taste. Add chicken and shake – to coat all chicken pieces.
- In a large fry pan add 2-3 tbls. olive oil and equal amount butter (if you need more, add more olive oil – not butter)
- Once the pan is heated, add chicken to the pan brown on both sides. Combine ingredients for sauce in bowl and stir until combined. Add sauce and simmer (the longer the better – the meat should be so tender it begins to pull away from the bone!). Turn chicken part way through.
- After simmering for 1 hour or so, if you feel the sauce is too liquid, add tomato paste. Let simmer (not too high) until the chicken is tender. Serve with lots of sauce on top to soak up with the French bread!
- *For children who can’t yet chew, this makes a great dish to puree!
Throwing wet chicken straight into a crowded pan guarantees pale, rubbery meat that refuses to develop any crust whatsoever. Achieving a proper sear requires dredging the pieces thoroughly in flour seasoned with salt and pepper, then working in batches to ensure the pan temperature stays high. If the pieces touch, they release moisture and steam instead of browning.
- Use bone-in, skin-on legs and thighs, as the extra fat and bone structure protect the meat from drying out during the prolonged braise.
- Maintain medium heat when rendering the fat so the flour coating does not burn before the chicken is cooked through.
- Test for doneness visually by watching the meat; it is finished when the muscle fibers naturally pull away from the bone and yield completely to the fork without resistance.
- Reduce the red wine and chicken broth mixture slowly over low heat until it coats the back of a spoon rather than remaining watery.
Adapting this dish for dairy or gluten intolerances is straightforward if you substitute the butter for an equal volume of olive oil and use a gluten-free flour blend for the initial dredge. Simmering the sauce uncovered during the final twenty minutes thickens the liquid without requiring commercial starches or thickeners.
