Classic Chicken Cacciatore Recipes

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half of the extra-virgin olive oil and brown chicken breasts or thighs for 3 or 4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan and season with salt and pepper.
• Return pan to stove, reduce heat to medium and add the remaining. Add crushed pepper, sliced mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt (salt is a magnet for drawing out liquid). Cover and cook mushrooms 5 minutes or until mushrooms are dark, tender and have given off their juices. Add about 1/2 cup of beef broth to intensify the wild mushroom flavor, then stir in the tomatoes and parsley. Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks or slices and add to sauce. Simmer sauce 5 minutes to finish cooking chicken pieces and to allow the flavors to combine. Toss pasta with cacciatore and serve with crusty bread and grated cheese.
• Tidbits: Beef broth and stock is now available in resealable paper containers, which can be found on the soup aisle of your market. These paper containers make storage of remaining broth easier; keep some on hand in your refrigerator. Beef broth is used instead of chicken broth in this recipe because it pairs better with the beefy taste of portobello mushrooms. The broth will make your cacciatore taste as if it simmered all day because it accents the mushroom taste well.
• Depending on your brand, 1 large can of tomatoes can vary in weight from 28 to 32 ounces. Use your favorite, but check to make sure the product is sugar free.

Steps:

• Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.
• In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.
• Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.

Steps:

• Coat chicken with flour. In 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in oil 15 to 20 minutes or until brown on all sides; drain.
• Cut bell pepper and onions crosswise in half; cut each half into fourths.
• Stir bell pepper, onions and remaining ingredients except cheese into chicken in skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 to 40 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone (at least 165°F). Serve with cheese.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine plum tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion in large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil and vinegar; toss to blend. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable mixture in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until onion slices are golden brown and all vegetables are tender, stirring frequently, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon rosemary. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large deep ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until golden brown, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to bowl. Add wine to skillet and boil until wine is reduced by half, scraping up browned bits, about 1 minute. Stir in canned tomatoes with juice, then broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors. Return chicken to sauce in skillet. Place skillet in oven and roast uncovered until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Remove skillet from oven. Stir in roasted vegetables, remaining 1/2 tablespoon rosemary, half of basil, and half of capers. Simmer over medium heat until vegetables are heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place pasta in large shallow bowl. Top with chicken and sauce. Sprinkle remaining basil and capers over.

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook onion, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a pot.
• Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Toss chicken thighs in the flour mixture until evenly coated.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat, add chicken thighs, and brown on one side, without turning, for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes more. Transfer browned chicken thighs to the pot.
• Pour white wine into the skillet; bring to a boil. Stir to loosen all the browned bits of chicken and flavors in the skillet pour into the pot. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add as much chicken stock as needed to cover the chicken. Cover pot and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 45 minutes.
• Stir in olives, parsley, and basil. Stir to heat through.

Steps:

• In a 9x13 pan combine the onion, pepper, garlic and chicken.
• Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and sugar to taste to the can of crushed tomatoes and pour over the veggies and chicken. Swirl red wine in can to rinse it and pour over the top of the sauce.
• Bake covered in 350 oven for about an hour. Remove cover and bake for another hour stirring every 20 minutes or so.
• Adjust seasonings and serve over penne with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.