Chicken Cacciatori

I've been thinking of cooking this dish for some time...the first time I had chicken Cacciatori, I asked my mother to cook it way back when I was a teen...now, I'm not sure when my foodie kicked in, but I know it was not when I was a teenager; especially my love of Italian food...Growing up, I was always around good food and cooks...my grandmother cooked for wealthy families in Chicago and the holidays, her home was filled with great food...my uncle was a phenomenal cook, having been a chef on a famous train line...my aunts must have have learned well from my grandmother...recently, my mother told me that she did not like cooking, however, when I asked for this dish, she found a way to make it for me...I'm not sure why I wanted chicken Cacciatori, but I'm glad Mom made it for me (she found a mix and the chicken was cooked in a cellophane bag, I recollect that it tasted good...I'm also not sure if I ever has chicken Cacciatori as an adult...it basically is stewed Italian chicken...I just know that I have never cooked this Cacciatori dish.

 

The other thing is the cookbook that I found the recipe in: Williams-Sonoma has its own line of cookbooks and they were sold in sets of 4 as well...I also went to their website for the recipe and it's slightly different than in the cookbook I have...but, you know me, I tend to very the recipe anyway...the online recipe uses bacon, I used pancetta, also bacon and I pity da fool who doesn't like bacon...I used red wine which is in the cookbook and little chicken stock, as in the online recipe...here is the online recipe...the recipe I'm using will be at the end of the blog.

If you don't know how to cut a whole chicken into its individual pieces, here is a video...I love using the Dutch oven when cooking dishes such as this one.

The string coming out is wrapped around the cheesecloth containing the sprigs of thyme and oregano...the recipe had the fresh thyme and oregano chopped, I wanted the essence of these spices infused in the sauce...I also simmered the chicken for a couple of hours which is longer than the recipes stated...as the chicken simmers, the aroma is filling the kitchen...I guess you could simmer this in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours.

I cooked two side with the Cacciatori: roasted potatoes with smoked paprika and lemon juice and cheddar biscuits with garlic...I thought the biscuits would be great for dipping in the sauce...please note that there will be lots of sauce that can get use elsewhere (such as with rice, pasta or polenta).

I must admit that I really had a fun time making this dish and I hope when you try this recipe, it's very tasty.

Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta

 

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks, bone-in, skin-on
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 10 oz fresh cremini or white button mushrooms, brushed clean
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup hearty red wine
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 tsp ground dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 cup non-instant polenta (coarse cornmeal), cooked

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces, four at a time to avoid over-crowding - and fry until both sides are browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining chicken and transfer to a plate.
2. Add the onion and bell pepper and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute another 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. Add the dried herbs and red pepper flakes.
3. Add the red wine and bring it to a boil over heat heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and ground porcini mushrooms. Stir to combine and return to a boil. Return the chicken to the Dutch oven and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, showing no signs of pink when cut into near the bone.
4. Transfer the chicken to a warmed platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Return the sauce to a boil over high heat and cook until it has thickened a little, 3-5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Dish out the polenta onto four plates, arrange two pieces of chicken on top of each serving of polenta, and spoon the sauce and vegetables over the chicken and polenta. Serve immediately.