Chicken Cacciatore
Flavor memories of my Mom’s hunter-style braised chicken overwhelmed me. I headed down the hill to get what I needed to make this easy, rustic dish.
I’m a breast man but go ahead and include all of your favorite chicken parts. The breasts take less time to cook so just simmer dark meat pieces a bit longer. Use bone-in and skin-on chicken for more flavor.
My recipe includes my father’s “secret” ingredient. He always added a sweet vinegar pepper to his chicken cacciatore. If you’re really energetic make my easy vinegar pickled peppers. (If you don’t have vinegar peppers use a dozen vinegar-brined capers or just a few drops of red wine vinegar. The acidity balances the sweetness of the peppers.)
I served the chicken cacciatore up with creamy polenta so I didn’t lose any of the sauce on the plate. Boiled rice works well too. You can also use the sauce for pasta.
The chicken is moist and tender, bathed in the chunky, sweet tomato-pepper sauce. I like to get a piece of bell pepper with each bite of chicken. Sometimes when I’m lucky, I get a piece of the piquant vinegar pepper too. Heaven!
Buon appetito!
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, or your favorite parts
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 sweet vinegar pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 28-ounce can Italian San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- sea salt and freshly grated black pepper to taste
- flour for dredging
- 3 tablespoons EVOO
- 3 leaves basil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Cooking Directions
- Roughly chop the onion and garlic.
- Cut the bell pepper in half. Remove the stem and seeds.
- Cut each half into 2-inch strips and cut the strips into 1-inch pieces.
- Cut the vinegar pepper in half. Remove the stem and seeds. Dice the vinegar pepper in 1-inch pieces.
- Crush the tomatoes with your hand. Remove any stems and skin.
- Cut each chicken breast in 4 pieces of equal size. Sprinkle both sides with salt & pepper.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour to lightly coat it.
- Put 2 tablespoons of EVOO in a pan over medium-high heat.
- When the oil begins to ripple, put the chicken in the pan skin side down. Brown the chicken well, about 3 minutes on each side. Be sure the skin gets crispy. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO if necessary. When the oil ripples add the onions, garlic and pepper. (If you want some heat and sparkle, add the crushed red pepper flakes too.)
- Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Stir frequently and sauté until the vegetables soften and the onion is translucent. Be sure to loosen the flavor-packed fond, the brown bits left on the bottom of the pan from cooking the chicken.
- Deglaze the pan with the wine. Be sure you scraped up all of the fond on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer for about a minute to burn off the alcohol.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan along with the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well.
- Over medium-low heat bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add the chicken and any juices on the plate to the pan. Braise until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Turn the chicken occasionally to fully coat it with the sauce. (If the sauce is not thick enough, remove the chicken and simmer the sauce over medium-high heat to evaporate more of the liquid.)
- Serve the chicken on a platter covered with the pan sauce.
- Roughly tear the basil leaves and sprinkle them atop the chicken.
- Serves 4.
Just made this dish tonight and it was simple and delicious. The crushed red pepper added a nice heat and the vinegar peppers were a fun little hit of yumminess. Thanks Gianni!