Chicken cacciatore is to me the stereotypical idea of what an Italian would do with pieces of chicken...put 'em with tomato sauce! That's not quite it, but not exactly wrong either. A ubiquitous dish in Italy from what I've found, open to lots of interpretations depending on who you talk to. It's a good weeknight meal; quick, not laborious and covering most or all your needs in one pot.
Mine doesn't really draw from any particular place. The idea is to simply brown chicken pieces in oil in a braising pot (cast iron works best), then add some herbs and vegetables, get a good layer of brown bits going on the bottom, de-glaze and create a sauce with wine, stock and/or tomatoes. Last time I had leftover basic tomato sauce and I used that instead of canned tomatoes, which already had its depth of flavor so the end result was even more ricco.
Mushrooms are a common addition and the dish is transformed if you splurge for some haughtier ones like oyster, trumpet, or porcini if you can find them (but dried ones will endow it with some serious woodsiness in no time). That's one route but I included just bell peppers last time I made it, for instance. You can simmer everything just enough to cook the meat through, or until it's falling off the bone if you've included them.
I use boneless, skinless thighs because they are naturally tender and flavorful. Any cut will do, but breasts will definitely be the least interesting. It all comes together in 30-40 minutes and is both satisfying and healthy. It's got that wintry kind of feeling to it if you go for rosemary and other Christmasy herbs as Nicole refers to them, but it can really work any time of year.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment