Chicken Cacciatore

Nothing says good old Italian comfort food like a steaming bowl of Chicken Cacciatore over warm pasta, dusted with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Every Italian cook has their own version of this classic chicken dish. It’s savory, falling off the bone delicious and oh-so-easy to prepare. Plus, your house will smell fantastic while it cooks! (Excuse me while I lick my fingers.) Salud!

Chicken Cacciatore–Italian Comfort Food at it's Best! — Cooking the chicken pieces in hot oil.

Chicken Cacciatore–Italian Comfort Food at it's Best

Author: Kate Battistelli

Recipe type: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 20 mins

Total time: 1 hour 35 mins

Serves: 6 servings

Nothing says good old Italian comfort food like a steaming bowl of Chicken Cacciatore over warm pasta, dusted with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Every Italian cook has their own version of this classic chicken dish. It's savory, falling off the bone delicious and oh-so-easy to prepare.

Ingredients

½ cup unbleached organic flour (I use gluten free all purpose)
2 ½ teaspoons sea or Kosher salt, divided
1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper, divided
1 (4-5 pound) organic chicken, cut into pieces
¼ cup butter or ghee
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon oregano
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (28 ounce) can organic whole plum tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can either organic crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
½ cup dry red wine
½ cup freshly chopped Italian (flat leaf) parsley

Instructions

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. If the breasts are large, I cut each chicken breast in half.
In a shallow bowl, combine the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of the pepper. Dredge each piece of chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.
Heat the fat in a large, heavy dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the chicken pieces to the pan. Cook until browned, 4-5 minutes on each side.
Transfer the browned chicken to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chicken.
To the drippings, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the carrot, celery, garlic, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and crushed red pepper. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often so it doesn't burn.
Pour the whole tomatoes into a bowl and crush with 2 forks. Add the tomatoes to the vegetables and add the can of tomato puree.
Add the wine, taste and add the remaining salt and pepper.
Add the chicken back into the pot, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, turning the pieces occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Skim off any excess fat.
Stir in the parsley and serve over pasta on individual plates. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Products I use in this recipe:

Organic Peeled Whole Plum Tomatoes and Tomato Puree: Perfect for any Italian dish! Muir Glen Organic Peeled Whole Plum Tomatoes,
Gluten Free All Purpose Flour–King Arthur Flour Multipurpose Flour, Gluten Free,
Organic grassed Ghee – This is the one I use most of the time: Purity Farm Organic Ghee, Clarified Butter
Jovial Gluten Free Tagliatelle Pasta -So far, I haven’t found a better tasting gluten free pasta. I love this one! Jovial Organic Gluten Free Traditional Egg Pasta, Egg Tagliatelle, 9 ounce

Kate’s Tips

If you like mushrooms, add about 2 cups chopped mushrooms when you add the onions to the pan.
You can also add some chopped red pepper when you add the vegetables.
I like to add about a tablespoon of sugar to the sauce to cut some of the acidity.
Serve with pasta or over mashed potatoes or polenta.
Watch out for bones!
If all you have is crushed tomatoes, that’s fine, just use two 28 ounce cans.
Mike likes to drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the finished dish. It adds a fruity richness that’s really nice. Oh, and freshly grated parmesan cheese!
This tastes even better the next day so make a big batch! It also freezes really well. You’ll be so glad to have some of this in your freezer!
This recipe will serve 4-6 people. Double it and freeze a batch. You’ll thank me 🙂

Chicken Cacciatore