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overhead partial view of chicken cacciatore over linguine in a white bowl

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Chef Dennis Littley
When it comes to comfort food my Dutch Oven Chicken Cacciatore is sure to please! It's easy to make and easily adjustable, to your taste preferences. And it's guarunteed to bring smiles to your dinner table!
5 from 87 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian, Italian - American
Servings 6
Calories 472 kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients
 
 

Chicken

  • 3.5 lb whole chicken cut up into parts
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

Cacciatore Sauce

  • olive oil if needed add additional olive oil to the dutch oven to saute the vegetables
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 ribs celery chopped
  • 2 medium carrots- peeled chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 cup mushrooms sliced in half
  • 1 cup dry red wine or dry white wine
  • 56 oz whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand, immersion blender or blender
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon basil finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon thyme finely chopped
  • 1½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper to taste

Finish

  • 4 ounces kalamata olives regular black olives or green olives can be substituted
  • 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon basil finely chopped

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Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Season the cut-up chicken with sea salt and pepper.
  • In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat add the seasoned chicken and sear the pieces on both sides for 4-5 minutes.
    *Do this in batches if you can't lay all the pieces flat to sear them at one time.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until needed.

Cacciatore Sauce

  • Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium.
    *If needed add additional olive oil to the dutch oven to saute the vegetables
  • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and stir to get all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed. Bring the mixture to a low boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Add the browned chicken back into the dutch oven, immersing the chicken in the sauce. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Finish

  • After simmering the chicken, remove the lid and add in the olives, a little more fresh parsley, and basil, and reseason with salt and pepper as needed.
    Simmer for an additional fifteen minutes.
    *Don't serve the chicken back to guests, but feel free to pick the meat from the back and enjoy it while you wait to serve your guests!
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and stir the sauce well, mixing in any oil that has separated from the sauce. You can remove the fat if you like, but there is a lot of flavor in it.
    If the sauce is too thin you can continue to cook it over medium-high heat to let it reduce. Placing the chicken back into the sauce for a quick reheat before serving.
    *If you leave the chicken in the sauce too long it will completely fall apart, which is why you remove it before reducing the sauce.
  • Serve over linguine, rice, risotto, farro or your pasta or grain and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 29gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1392mgPotassium: 1251mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 4506IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 5mg
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