Recipe Review: Curtis Stone's Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

Whenever my family wants something that will be quick to make but also tastes delicious we always gravitate towards chicken. We usually do simple things like chicken with garlic goat cheese sauce or shake and bake, but sometimes when we want to have a meal that is a little more "involved" we make Chicken Cacciatore. We've had a number of different versions of Chicken Cacciatore, but I have to admit, this one by Curtis Stone is actually really delicious! 

Chicken Cacciatore

The original recipe by Curtis Stone can be found here. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes    |    Cooking Time: 1 hour 10 minutes   |   Serves: 4 

Make ahead? This meal can be made ahead of time and then rewarmed (see note at the end) 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs 

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (plus more to taste)

3 ounces pancetta (coarsely chopped)

8 ounces cremini mushrooms (quartered)

1 red bell pepper (diced)

1/2 small onion (thinly sliced)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

2 springs thyme 

1 bay leaf 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup chicken broth

A handful of Kalamata olives (pitted and chopped)

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions: (from Curtis Stone) 

1. Heat a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil to the pan. Season both sides of the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook the chicken until it is pale golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the pancetta to the same pan. Sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a small bowl.

3. Add the mushrooms to the pan and sauté until they become tender and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and onion and sauté until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté until the garlic softens, about 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, stirring to scrape up browned bits on bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, chicken stock, and olives. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to medium-low.

4. Return the chicken and its accumulated juices to the pan, nestling the chicken into the sauce. Gently simmer uncovered until the tomatoes melt into the sauce and the sauce thickens slightly, about 40 minutes. Remove the thyme stems and bay leaf. 

5. Spoon the chicken and sauce onto plates. Sprinkle with the reserved sautéed pancetta and Parmesan cheese and serve.

Make ahead: This meal can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat. Add moisture by adding more chicken broth or water, if needed. Recrisp the pancetta in a skillet. 

My Review: 

My family really enjoyed this meal. We served it with white rice, cucumber salad, and oven roasted brussel sprouts. It was very tasty and simple to make. This recipe is definitely being saved in our family recipe binder for future use. As you can tell, we eliminated the parsley and basil (we aren't huge fans). The combination of ingredients was fantastic, although we did add more than 6 Kalamata olives since we love olives. Other than those two changes we followed the recipe exactly and found that it came out fantastic. 

If you are looking for a simple tasty meal to serve your family or even to serve company than I highly recommend trying this Chicken Cacciatore recipe. 

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