Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 6 or less if you need more than one thighs
Here's What You Need:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat*
2 ribs celery sliced
1 small onion sliced into half moons
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips. I use baby bells so I have lots of color
1 jalapeno pepper, sliced small - optional
1 8 ounce package of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced.
3 to 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or slices if you like it that way
2 TBS fresh chopped parsley, plus some extra for garnish
3 sprigs fresh thyme, strip off little leaves from the stem
1 TBS fresh chopped oregano or I tsp dry
1 cup red wine
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
pinch of red pepper flakes - optional
olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
Garlic bread, pasta, polenta or rice for serving.
*You can use skin on chicken if you want, breast, legs whatever you have.
Here’s What You Need To Do:
Heat a couple of TBS of olive oil on medium high in a Dutch oven or sturdy large pan.
Pat dry you chicken with a paper towel. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Fold the thigh in half and place in the oil. You want to sear them for about 4 minutes per side. You may have to do this in batches. You don’t want to crowd the pan. Put the chicken on a plate and set aside.
Add more oil to the pan if necessary and add in the onion, celery and peppers. Toss them around a bit for a couple of minutes then add in the mushrooms and toss them around.
When the mushrooms start to shrink up add in some salt and pepper, oregano, thyme and parsley. Cook for three minutes then add in the garlic and stir until it becomes fragrant, about a minute.
Add in the red wine and let it reduce by half. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan to get more flavor. When the wine is reduced add in the crushed tomatoes. When that comes to a simmer put the chicken and any juice on the plate into the pan, make sure chicken completely covered in sauce.
Give it a taste and make any adjustments needed.
Reduce heat to a low simmer and let chicken cook for 30 minutes.
If you want thinner sauce cover the pan, I leave mine uncovered.
Plate it up, I used pasta, and serve with a garnish of fresh parsley leaves and if you want fresh shredded parmesan cheese.
Let’s Eat!!