Chicken Cacciatore
I loosely followed this Bobby Flay recipe from FoodNetwork.com. This is a nice hearty sauce, chocked full of vegetables, to go over pasta. I missed the heat though. Instead of adding a diced serano or jalapeno, I just put a few knife pokes in a jalapeno for what I thought would be a more subtle heat. It turned out there was no heat at all. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs too.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (3-pound) chicken cut into eighths
- 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
- 1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup low-sodium canned chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar or capers
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound spaghetti (size 8 or 9) cooked al dente
- Basil sprigs
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the pan, skin side down and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate.
Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the serrano, garlic and chili flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely reduced. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and rosemary and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and tent loosely with foil.