Chicken Cacciatore
This is not our original recipe. This one comes from my Aunt Wendy, one of the best home chefs I know. I remember, as a kid, her making Chicken Cacciatore for birthdays and special occasions by request. Served with just a salad and lots of delicious French bread to mop up the sauce. It is now a favorite with my kids as well.
So today’s post is in honor of Aunt Wendy who we recently got to see after a long pandemic break.
Over the years I have modified this recipe but the fundamentals stay the same. My family loves it over spaghetti, so there is extra sauce in this version.
The original recipe called for the “best of the fryer,” a cut up whole chicken with the breast split and back left out. It made it very easy to to start. In Texas we cannot find that cut anymore so often just use a whole chicken and cut ourselves.
Chop those bell peppers.
We love the sweetness that bell pepper gives to most of our Italian sauces so this is an added ingredient from the original recipe
Once the chicken and onions are cut it’s time to start frying. Using a deeper, Dutch oven, it does help keep the splattering down but we still use a splatter guard.
After the chicken is nicely brown, set aside in a dish and add the onions. Part of what makes this dish special is the onion slices, rather than diced. They are part of the star of the meal! They get so well cooked down that even those who don’t love onions, like them in here, as they are so mellow.
Next, add the bell pepper and then garlic. Garlic can burn so easily so be sure to only cook for a minute or two before adding the chicken back
Onions soften nicely
In these bigger chunks vs. diced onions do take a little longer to soften. Wait for them to start to turn slightly translucent then add the bell peppers.
Create the sauce in a separate bowl along with the herbs.
Add the sauce
Be sure that all the chicken is covered with sauce. While cooking, turn the chicken a couple of times to be sure all pieces are coated well.
That bubbly goodness.
The chicken will get very tender after braising for almost 90 minutes. The time allows the flavors to bend in really well.
Ohhhh….don’t you just want to grab a piece right off of this plate? As home chefs, the kitchen can be an adventure, as some dishes turn out better than others. This was a good one!
On this night we decided to enjoy the meal outside, served with a salad, spaghetti, bread and extra sauce. And of course, a delicious Sangiovese wine.
Thank you to Aunt Wendy for sharing her delicious recipe with us so many years ago!
Me with Aunt Wendy and my Mom
I thank her for sharing this recipe with us! Here’s to passing family recipes along for generations to come.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 large chicken fryer or whole chicken, cut up
- 1 medium onions, cut in to 1/2 inch slices
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes, cut up
- 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (dried works as well)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup cooking sherry (optional)
- 1/4 red wine (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add the chicken and slowly brown on all sides, turning often. Once brown, remove from skillet and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the onions and cook until slightly softened about 4-5 minutes. Add the red bell pepper and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes more.
- In a bowl combine the tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, celery seed and bay leaves. Stir together.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet. Pour the sauce over the chicken and onion mixture.
- Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the sherry and wine. Cover again and cook until the chicken is tender about 30 minutes more.
- Skim off any excess fat and remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with spaghetti if desired and lots of French break to mop up the sauce. Enjoy!
