Chicken Cacciatore

I had seen the recipe for chicken cacciatore on The Pioneer Woman's site a few times and had been quite intrigued.  I have to admit most of this had to do with the fancy sounding name.  Cacciatore?  If it sounded that divine and sophisticated, it must be such.

This recipe calls for chicken thighs, but you can really use any pieces of chicken you'd like.  I opted for a mix of thighs and drumsticks.  I'm sure you could also switch up the veggies listed if you wanted as well.

I must say this meal has a wonderful mix of textures and flavors.  I opted to add crushed red paper flakes which gave the dish a bit of a spicy kick.

*Let me interrupt and say that I'm experimenting with bigger photos.....seeing how it goes....

My only gripe (if you could even call it a gripe) is that it took me a LONG time to make this.  The prep/cook time listed is an hour and 15 minutes, but it too me well over two hours to make much to the chagrin of my growling stomach.  Just a heads up in case you're looking to make this wonderful meal :)




Chicken Cacciatore from The Pioneer Woman
(Printable Version)
1 lb pasta
8 chicken thighs (I used a mix of thighs and drumsticks)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C all purpose flour
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
2 green peppers, sliced
5 cloves garlic, diced
12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
3/4 C dry white wine
1 can tomatoes in their juice (can be whole or diced)
Parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese, for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, then coat in flour.  Heat olive oil and butter in skillet over medium-high heat.  Brown chicken on both sides (I did 4 pieces at a time, as not to overcrowd).  Remove chicken and place on extra plate.

Season with S&P

Mmmm Brown those babies on both sides!

Add peppers, onion and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, for one minute.  Add mushrooms and cook for additional minute.  Add thyme, turmeric and salt (and crushed red pepper if desired).  Add extra salt and pepper to taste if desired.  Stir.  Pour in wine.

Add tomatoes and stir to combine.  Add chicken back to skillet, skin side up.  Do not submerge so that skin will stay crisp.

*It was at this point I realized my skillet wasn't big enough and I was going to have to transfer everything to a bigger pot.  I had originally opted for the skillet for it's rustic and homey look, but it backfired on me.

*The next step is placing the chicken and veggies in the oven (I'll get to that in a bit).  This is a good time to go ahead and get the pasta started.  When you're cooking that much pasta it can take a while.

Cover pot with lid and place in oven for 45 minutes.  Remove lid and turn oven up to 375.  Continue cooking for additional 15 minutes.

Remove pot from oven.  Remove chicken and vegetables (leaving the sauce/liquid) and place on separate plates.

Place pot of sauce over medium-high heat and cook for a few minutes to thicken.

Place cooked pasta on large serving platter. Top with vegetables, then chicken.  Spoon sauce over top.

Top with chopped parsley and grated parmesan to serve.