One-Pan Chicken Cacciatore
“Each Italian family seems to have its own variation on this classic dish,” says Stanley Tucci, actor, cookbook author and host of the series Searching for Italy. This version hails from his mother’s side of the family, and it includes tomatoes—an ingredient that cooks on his father’s side of the family typically omitted from their chicken cacciatore. Stanley recommends serving this hearty one-pan meal with a medium-bodied white or a light red.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil
- 2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide
- 1/2 lb. (250 g) mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick
- 1 free-range chicken, about 3 lb. (1.5 kg), cut into serving pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) dry white wine
- 2 1/2 cups (1 lb./500 g) coarsely chopped yellow onions (about 2 medium onions)
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (7 oz./210 g) canned whole plum tomatoes or your favorite marinara sauce
Directions:
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the bell peppers and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, about 8 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and brown lightly on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter and set aside. Pour the wine into the pan and stir to incorporate any cooking juices. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hand or the back of a slotted spoon as you add them to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Stir the peppers and mushrooms into the chicken. Return to a simmer, cover and cook to blend the flavors, about 10 minutes. The cacciatore may be set aside at this point for several hours before reheating and serving with bread to dip into the sauce. Serves 4.
Variation: A rabbit cut into serving pieces may be substituted for the chicken. Omit the pepper and quarter rather than slice the mushrooms. To the basic recipe add 2 all-purpose potatoes, peeled, halved and each half quartered, and stir these into the pan along with the rabbit.
Recipe adapted from The Tucci Cookbook, by Stanley Tucci with Joan and Stan Tucci, Gianni Scappin and Mimi Taft (Gallery Books, 2012)
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