Chicken Cacciatore over Spaghetti
A truly great Italian chicken dish. I love to reduce it down so that the sauce is thick enough to cling to pasta and serve it over spaghetti.
Chicken Cacciatore over Spaghetti
Equipment
- dutch oven
- or cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken - bone-in, skin on separated into legsand wings, the breasts cut in half for smaller pieces
- OR 4-6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on - bone-in, skin on (alt.)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 oz mixed mushrooms, like crimini, shitake and baby portobellos - quartered
- 1 medium onion - diced medium
- 1 small red pepper - diced medium
- 1 small yellow pepper - diced medium
- 2 small carrots - peeled and sliced
- 2 Roma tomatoes - coarsely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic - shaved
- 8 sprigs thyme
- ½ cup kalamata olives - pitted
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon agave - Rob's Little Secret: This sweetness will take the edge of the tomatoes acidity. I add it into all my tomato based pasta sauces.
- 2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley and basil - plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Spaghetti
- 1 lb spaghetti
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt, pepper and sprinkled oregano.
- Heat dutch oven on range top on medium, drizzle with olive oil.
- Place chicken, skin down and do not move until it reaches a deep golden brown and easy to turn. Brown the other side for a few minutes, remove and set aside.
- Carefully pour off half of the oil and return to a medium heat.
- Add the onion, fry until transparent (about 3-4 minutes), then add the garlic and saute until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add the vegetables, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, the thyme and saute for five minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Add wine and let it reduce by half.
- Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, a teaspoon of salt, pepper and the chopped parsley and basil.
- Add in the agave.
- Place chicken back into the dutch oven and let sink into the juices.
- Simmer uncovered for a couple of hours, until the chicken falls off the bone and the sauce has thickened into a rich pasta sauce.
- When the sauce has almost reached the desired thickness, add the olives.
- To serve, place a couple of pieces of chicken over al dente pasta in each bowl, ladle on the sauce and garnish with chopped parsley and basil.
Notes
TO MAKE AHEAD: This chicken cacciatore can be made up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. Rewarm over low-medium heat.
TO FREEZE:Transfer the cooled cacciatore into an air tight container and transfer to the freezer. The day of serving, thaw it out in the morning and bring to room temperature. Transfer to the dutch oven and reheat over low-medium heat until warmed through.
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