The best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe ever! One of my husband Dan's all time favorite Italian chicken recipes. An adventure for your taste buds, chicken cacciatore will immediately be a family favorite and a must addition to your recipe repertoire.
This savory Italian chicken stew recipe is served best with creamy polenta (see recipe below), linguine, egg noodles or buttery mashed potatoes. I love to use fresh oregano and rosemary in this dish, but if unavailable, dried spices work as well. I use home made chicken broth when possible or store bought organic chicken broth.
Why not try a Roasted Garlic Caesar Salad on the side of this chicken cacciatore recipe using Michele's very own Ceaser Salad Dressing recipe?
Michele Romano Recipes
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Ingredients
12 chicken thighs
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup sherry or dry red wine (optional)
1-1/2 cups of chicken broth
2-28 oz cans of plumb tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 tbsp of fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp of dried rosemary)
1 - 1/2 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
Preparation
Prepare chicken pieces
Place flour in a bowl, add garlic powder and season with salt and pepper.
Evenly coat chicken with flour.
In a large pot, heat your olive oil and butter on medium to medium high
Cook half the chicken thighs, turning them occasionally until they are well browned on all sides. Then cook other half. (note: The secret to browning chicken is not to over crowd the pot)
Remove all chicken and set aside on a platter
Add onions, mushrooms and garlic to your pot and cook until tender about 3 minutes. (You may have to add a bit more oil or butter.)
Add sherry or wine if using and simmer on medium high for 5 minutes
Add chicken broth, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and rosemary, bring to low simmer.
Salt and pepper.
Using tongs, return chicken to pot
Cover and gently simmer for about 45 minutes until chicken is cooked and tender
Boil your pasta until firm (el dente).
Add 1 tbsp butter to cooked pasta.
Spoon sauce and chicken on pasta, serve immediately.
Top off with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.
Prep time:45 min. Cook time:60 min. Serves:6 Live Long and Mangia!
Note: If you decide to use creamy Polenta as a pasta substitute, follow the recipe below.
Creamy Polenta Recipe
Note: This recipe serves 6 to 8, cut in half to serve 3 to 4.
Ingredients
3 cups milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups water
1-1/2 cups of instant polenta (cornmeal)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
Preparation
Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil
Whisk the Polenta in until the mixture begins to thicken
Stir in butter, salt and pepper
Continue to cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately with chicken and sauce.
You can also substitute coarse ground cornmeal in place of instant polenta to make it more traditional, but it takes at least 30 minutes longer to prepare. Follow package directions.
Nutritional Facts
Oregano is loaded with health benefits. It is known to be an effective anti-bacterial. It also has potent anti-oxidant activity.
Rosemary is a key herb in European herbal medicine. It's known for strengthening the memory, aiding in fat digestion and relieving aching joints.
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