Italian Chicken Cacciatore Recipes

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook onion, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a pot.
• Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss chicken thighs in the flour mixture until evenly coated.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat, add chicken thighs, and brown on one side, without turning, for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer browned chicken thighs to the pot.
• Pour white wine into the skillet; bring to a boil. Stir to loosen all the browned bits of chicken and flavors in the skillet pour into the pot. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add as much chicken stock as needed to cover the chicken. Cover pot and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Stir in olives, parsley, and basil. Stir to heat through.

Steps:

• Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate.
• Add mushrooms, onion, and celery to the pan drippings and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.
• Return chicken to the skillet. Add white wine and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, oregano, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer until chicken is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.
• In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.
• Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook until well browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium and add bell pepper, onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir to blend into the vegetables.
• Add crushed tomatoes, wine, allspice, bay leaf, seasoning sauce, salt, and pepper. Return chicken to the pan and toss to coat all pieces.
• Cover the Dutch oven and place in the preheated oven. Braise until chicken is falling off the bone and the juices run clear, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken with the salt, pepper, and flour, shaking to remove the excess flour. Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large non-stick high-sided frying pan set on high heat. (I use my electric frying pan for this.) Add the chicken to the pan and cook until well-browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Save the chicken fat left in the pan, adding enough of the oil to make 4 tablespoons Cook the onion and bay leaves over medium heat till tender. Add the garlic, pancetta, red pepper flakes, and half of the parsley. Cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook for 3 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and their juice, the chicken stock, tomato sauce, and browned chicken pieces. Break the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Cook the sauce 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top and serve.
• (I have also posted the recipes for the homemade chicken stock and the homemade basic tomato sauce if anyone needs it.).