A Classic, Hearty Chicken Cacciatore
Break out your red checkered tablecloth, light some drippy candles and pour some good red wine—it’s time to feast like you’re at your favorite Italian restaurant (except you’ll be even more comfortable, because you’re at home). Shallots, garlic, red wine, tomatoes, olives and peppers swirl together to make an ultra-savory braising liquid for tender chicken thighs in this classic Italian dish. It’s a winter (or fall) warmer that we grew up eating and never get tired of. Grab some crusty bread to sop up all of those gorgeous juices, and let’s get cooking.
What Is Chicken Cacciatore?
And what does cacciatore mean? Chicken cacciatore originated in Italy, and is called chicken alla cacciatora, meaning “hunter’s-style chicken”. Marcella Hazan—we always, always turn to Marcella when we need to know the history of an Italian recipe—writes that because “there has always been a hunter in nearly every Italian household, every Italian cook prepares a dish with a claim to that description” chicken cacciatore can be prepared in a number of ways. But, it always involves tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables. Check, check and check! Sounds like even Marcella would consider our version of chicken cacciatore to be authentic, and that’s good enough for us.
The Ingredients You’ll Need To Make The Very Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
You’ll notice that we’ve listed some of these ingredients as optional. In line with the Marcella Hazan quote above, this is a forgiving dish that’s meant to be made however *you* want to make it. Make it your own! Mold it to suit the tastes of your home. There’s no wrong way. What could be more inviting than that? Here’s everything you’ll need to make chicken cacciatore:
- Chicken thighs. We’re calling for bone-in, skin-on thighs for this recipe.
- Red bell pepper
- Shallots
- Crimini mushrooms
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Red wine. We like to use something light, like Pinot Noir.
- Italian seasoning
- Canned crushed tomatoes
As for those optional ingredients we mentioned, they are:
- Black olives, optional
- Red pepper flakes
- Fresh basil
- Parmesan
- Flour
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- *Optional step!* Dredge the chicken in flour.
- Brown the chicken to get a nice crisp on the skin, and set it aside.
- Sauté the bell pepper, shallots and mushrooms for a bit, then add the garlic.
- Pour in the stock, wine and Italian herbs. Add the chicken, and bring the whole thing to a good simmer. Reduce the liquid by about half.
- In go the tomatoes and olives. Simmer the whole pot until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs registers 165°F on an instant read thermometer.
- *Optional step!* Top with fresh basil and optional parmesan before serving.
- *Not-optional step!* Mangia! That means eat up!
What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore
Clearly, this is a hearty meal as-it, maybe served with just a basic green salad. But if you’re serving it to company—or just to a household with big appetites—you’ll want to add a few sides. Here are a few things we love to serve with chicken cacciatore:
An Easy Chicken Cacciatore That’s Classic As Can Be
And sometimes—actually, pretty often—that’s what we want dinner to be. You, too? Well, try our cacciatore recipe, and let us know how you like it, OK? Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!
