Chicken Cacciatore

I'm not completely sure why "hunter's style" chicken means a chicken sauteed with tomatoes, peppers, and onions, but apparently it does. Regardless, chicken cacciatore is a wonderful, hearty dish that's full of flavor, but still surprisingly light.

Last night I wanted to experiment with a new recipe. I looked around online and and decided to combine a few recipes I thought looked decent. What I came up with ended up being a combination of recipes by Giada de Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Tyler Florence (but mostly Giada). A lot of recipes suggest serving the sauce on a bed of pasta, but I prefer to forget the pasta and serve it with some crusty bread or some garlic mashed potatoes. Enjoy!



Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 4
Total Cook & Prep time - 35 min

4-6 pieces bone-in chicken (I like using legs & thighs)
salt & pepper, for seasoning
3 TBSP olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup chicken stock
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup Italian Dressing
1 ½ tsp dried oregano leaves
Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
Dash red pepper flakes

Season chicken liberally with salt & pepper.

In a medium skillet with high sides, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

To a large pot or dutch oven, add the tomatoes, oregano, garlic, Italian Dressing, chicken stock, and veggies and stir until combined. Bring the chicken back to the pan and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 30 min.

Transfer chicken to a plate and spoon the sauce over the chicken to serve.

*NOTE – this will make enough sauce to freeze about ½ for later use*