Chicken Cacciatore
Updated April 13, 2020
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ½ounce dried mushrooms, like porcini (½ cup)
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 to 8skinless chicken legs and/or thighs (thighs can be boneless)
- 1small onion, minced
- 1small carrot, minced
- 3ribs celery, minced
- 2large garlic cloves, minced
- 2tablespoons fresh minced Italian parsley
- 1heaped teaspoon minced fresh rosemary, or ½ teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary
- ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½pound mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- ½cup red wine
- 128-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice, pulsed in a food processor
Nutritional analysis per serving (5 servings)
766 calories; 51 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 1329 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl or heat-proof glass measuring cup and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 15 to 30 minutes, until mushrooms are softened. Drain through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel and set over a bowl. Rinse the mushrooms in several changes of water, squeeze out excess water and chop coarsely. Set aside. Measure out 1 cup of the soaking liquid and set aside.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet or Dutch oven. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown, in batches, for 5 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken pieces to a bowl as they are done. Pour the fat off from the pan and discard.
- Step 3
Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining oil and the onion, carrot and celery, as well as a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until the mixture is soft and aromatic. Stir in the fresh and dried mushrooms, turn the heat back up to medium, and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are just tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the wine and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down a little and smell fragrant. Stir in the mushroom soaking liquid that you set aside.
- Step 4
Return the chicken pieces to the pan and stir so that they are well submerged in the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve with pasta or rice.
Private Notes
Comments
If you use both fresh and dried mushrooms, you get multiple layers of flavor and texture. And if you saute your fresh mushrooms well, until brown and almost crispy, before you add them, then your layers of flavor and texture will be even deeper and more interesting.
Amped up the mushroom, carrot & celery 50% and it was still delicious. (With the additional veg we needed to add a tablespoon of tomato paste, just to keep the consistency correct.)
Delicious, with great depth of flavor! The recipe is time-consuming but well worth the effort. I used skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs, which cooked nicely in the aromatic sauce. Preparation of ingredients always takes longer than I anticipate; total time spent was 2 hrs. 15 min. but I'm not a fast or expert cook. I added a bit more garlic and parsley but just a tiny amount of salt.
I used a can of whole, peeled tomatoes and smashed them with a potato masher. The resulting dish was prettier than if I had puréed them in a blender. Doubled the fresh mushrooms, used 1.5 lbs meat (6 boneless thighs). Took the meat out and shredded it about halfway through the simmer. Put it back on simmer while the pasta cooked. Served with curls of shaved Parmesan. Excellent! Would be great served on soft polenta.
Did not have dried mushrooms so used only fresh and had to double the recipe. To me, it wasn’t great. A little soupy and flavor not rich enough. What did I do wrong? My mom used to make an amazing chicken cacciatore and I’m trying to duplicate. (She is gone and no recipe so on my own.)
I had a jar of Sauz Summer Lemon Marinara so I used it as a substitute for canned tomatoes. Mushrooms, I have plenty of dried lobster mushrooms and half a freezer of frozen wild mushrooms, so I used those. The dish came out amazing. Will be repeating many times.
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