Chicken Cacciatore

By ROBandSEAN

"Cacciatore," meaning "hunter" in Italian, refers to an earthy Italian chicken dish with vegetables. Every Italian may make it differently

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• One 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces (breasts halved)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, thinly julienned
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken broth
• One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, with juices, pureed
• 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• Honey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil, plus sprigs for garnish
• 2 tablespoons brined capers, drained
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente
• Thinly shaved Parmesan

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 80mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper. Working in batches, place the chicken in the pan, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate.

Add another tablespoon of the oil to the pan and heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the onions and the bell peppers to the pan and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, serrano chiles and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely reduced. Add the chicken broth, tomatoes, rosemary and thyme, and bring to a simmer. Return the dark meat and mushrooms to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the white meat to the pan, cover and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and tent it loosely with foil.

Raise the heat under the pan to high and cook the liquid, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a sauce consistency, about 15 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and honey. Stir in the basil and capers, and pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Serve over spaghetti and sprinkle with shaved Parmesan