Description
Chicken cacciatore, or hunter’s chicken, is an Italian braise of bone-in thighs simmered with bell peppers, onion, Kalamata olives, capers, and red wine in crushed tomatoes. One pot, about 55 minutes start to finish.
Ingredients
Units
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- Fresh basil for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down for 5 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp. Flip and sear 2 minutes more. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, cook the onion and bell peppers 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the fond from the bottom. Let it reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Nestle the chicken pieces skin-side up back into the sauce. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaf. Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Notes
- Keep the chicken skin-side up once it goes back into the pot, so the skin sits above the sauce and stays crisp at the edges.
- Olives and capers are already salty, so taste the sauce before you add any more salt.
- Serve over polenta, pasta, or with crusty bread for the sauce. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to three days and reheat gently on the stove.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 780
- Fat: 28
- Carbohydrates: 14
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 44
- Cholesterol: 165