Chicken Cacciatore

Name: Chicken Cacciatore
Yield: makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 broiler chickens (about 2 1/2 pounds each, preferably free-range); Salt; Freshly ground black pepper; All-purpose flour; 1/4 cup vegetable oil; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup); 1/2 cup dry white wine; One 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with liquid, crushed; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably the Sicilian or Greek type dried on the branch, crumbled; 2 cups sliced white or shiitake mushrooms (about 8 ounces); 1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 2 cups total)

December 9, 2011

The caccia in cacciatore means “hunt,” so I guess this is chicken hunter’s-style. Somewhere along the line—probably on its trip from Italy to America—the hunter’s pheasant or guinea hen in this dish was replaced by chicken. If you don’t want to cut up a whole chicken, you can buy pieces—get all legs and thighs, if that’s what you like; they are very good in this dish. It can be made using only chicken breasts, if that’s your preference, but to keep the chicken from drying out, you should cut the cooking time in half, and reduce the wine to 1/4 cup and the tomatoes to 3 cups. Best of all, though, is to make this dish with an older hen. In that case, increase the cooking time by 20 minutes, adding more water or stock as needed to keep the hen pieces covered as they cook. When you cut up chicken, or anything for that matter, your knife should glide along. If you’re struggling, stop for a second and take a look at what you’re cutting; you should be cutting between the bones at the joints, not actually cutting through the bones. If you’re off target, just wiggle the blade of the knife to get a feel for where the joint is, then make another cut. With practice, you’ll get a sense for where the joints lie.

Recipe notes