Chicken Cacciatore
Bone-in chicken thighs browned and braised with peppers, mushrooms, onion, rosemary, wine and tomatoes until tender. A rustic one-pot dinner for polenta, pasta or bread.
Chef's note Cacciatore means hunter's style: whatever the hunter brought home, cooked with what was in the garden.
Chef's note Cacciatore means hunter's style: whatever the hunter brought home, cooked with what was in the garden. Thighs stay juicy through a long simmer where breasts go dry, so don't trade them.
Ingredients
- 2½ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs about 8
- 1½ tsp kosher salt divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers sliced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup dry red or white wine
- 1 can diced tomatoes 28 oz
- ⅓ cup black olives pitted, optional
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley chopped
Steps
Pat 2½ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs dry and season all over with 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the thighs skin side down until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip for 2 minutes. Work in batches. Move to a plate and pour off all but a thin film of the fat.
Add 1 yellow onion, 2 red or yellow bell peppers, 8 oz cremini mushrooms and the rest of the salt (½ tsp kosher salt). Cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened and browned at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 4 cloves garlic, 1 sprig fresh rosemary and 1 tsp dried oregano for the last minute.
Pour in ½ cup dry red or white wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer until it's mostly gone, about 2 minutes. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and ⅓ cup black olives.
Nestle the chicken back in, skin side up and above the sauce so it stays crisp-ish. Partly cover and simmer gently 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is tender and reaches 175°F near the bone.
Remove the rosemary stem, skim off any fat on top, and taste the sauce for salt. Scatter 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley over the top and serve.
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