Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore, in Italian is a hunters stew, is a a rustic meal of chicken braised in a rich red wine tomato and mushroom sauce 😋 it is rich in flavor, soulfully statisfying and makes tons to have leftovers the next day. I served it with buttered orzo.

• 8 (5- to 7-ounce) boneless chicken thighs, trimmed + 3 tbsp. salt for the night before (see below)

• 2 1/4 tsp. sea salt

• 3/4 tsp pepper

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, chopped

• 6 oz portobello mushroom caps, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

• 1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch pieces

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 tsp minced fresh thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine

• 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

• 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional; see note)

• 2 tsp chopped fresh sage

The night before cooking, season the chicken all over with sea salt. Don’t worry the meat won’t be salty. What will happen is the salt through osmosis will tenderize and retain moisture in the chicken and dry out the outter layer making it more crispy when cooked.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with 1 3/4 teaspoons salt and the pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown thighs, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer thighs to plate; discard skin. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

Add onion, mushrooms and peppers plus the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to fat left in pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.

Stir in broth, tomatoes and cheese rind, if using, and bring to simmer. Nestle thighs into pot, cover and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken registers 195 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes.

Remove pot from oven and transfer chicken to serving platter. Discard cheese rind, if using. Stir sage into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Note: The Parmesan cheese rind is optional, but we highly recommend it for the savory flavor it adds to the dish.

Paired with a Schiava from Elena Walch vineyards, located in Alto Adige, Italy. Tomato based sauces need a higher acid wine to balance the dish and make it sing.