Chicken Cacciatore
The best part about Winter is the cozy comforting food it requires. All I want lately are slow-cooked savory dishes. I love walking into our home and being welcomed with wafts of a tasty dish in the making.
When we went to Italy this past Summer, Aaron and I did a market tour and hands-on cooking class with a chef in Florence. It was incredible, the chef shared with us the culture and food connection in Florence, explaining why they do what they do and where it originated from. One of the many things he shared was that in Florence they do not add salt to their bread. There are many different explanations as to why they don’t salt their bread, one of the reasons is because the cured meats are salty so it balances out. Another theory is that salt was heavily taxed in medieval Florence, so bakers left it out. Once the tax was lifted, the bakers continued preparing the bread the same way, never looking back.
In the cooking class, our chef shared with us how to prepare a four-course meal. Our main entree/protein course was chicken cacciatore. We finely minced many fresh herbs, while he seared chicken thighs and drumsticks simmering in tomatoes, garlic, olives, onion, and red wine. The chicken cacciatore simmered for over an hour while we continued preparing our other three courses; panzanella salad, spinach and ricotta ravioli in a butter sage sauce, and vanilla panna cotta with berry coulis.
We had the pleasure of being seated and poured several glasses of wine while the chef finalized and served us our meal. It was one of the best meals we had on our entire trip. Maybe it was the experience of seeing the meal come together from scratch, the flowing wine, or simply the magic of Florence. Either way, it was divine.
Upon returning home, I had to recreate the incredible chicken cacciatore we had the pleasure of experiencing. I made small changes as I didn’t want to lose the authentic flavor. With the addition of a few more veggies to add extra micronutrients, whole tomatoes over canned tomatoes, and a little less oil, this chicken cacciatore reflects our incredible time spent in Florence with a healthier spin.
I love to serve this braised comfort dish over roasted potatoes, pasta, or gnocchi and a glass of red wine.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil, divided
- 1 each Onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons Garlic, minced
- 1 each Eggplant, diced, skin-on
- 3 each Tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons Olives, green, quartered
- 1.5 pounds Chicken thighs, skinless, bone-in, trim excess fat
- 1 cup Red wine
- 2 tablespoons Sage, fresh
- 2 tablespoons Thyme, fresh
- 1/2 tablespoon Rosemary, fresh
- 1/2 tablespoon Salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper, ground
Instructions
- Preheat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat.
- Add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Liberally season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Place chicken thighs in a hot sauté pan, and sear each side until caramelized, about 10-15 minutes, flip and repeat searing.
- Remove chicken thighs from the sauté pan and set aside.
- Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil to sauté pan, adjust heat to medium.
- Add onion, garlic, eggplant, tomatoes, and olives. Sauté until caramelized and softened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Adjust heat to low, nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan with the vegetables, and add red wine and fresh herbs.
- Allow simmering for 1 hour, uncovered.
- Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan. Serve over pasta or roasted potatoes.
390 Calories/Fat: 18 grams/Carbs. 18 grams/Fiber: 4 grams/Protein: 30 grams
4 ounces of chicken + ~1 cup of sauce is one serving
Photo credit: Robert Kaufman