Chicken Cacciatore

Method

1. Sear the chicken. Season thighs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin-side down. Cook for 6–8 minutes until the skin is deeply golden and crispy. Flip and sear the other side for 2 minutes. Remove to a plate.

2. Cook the vegetables in the rendered chicken fat. Add onion and bell peppers. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add mushrooms and cook 3 more minutes until they release their liquid and start to brown. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds.

3. Deglaze with wine. Pour in the wine and scrape up the fond. Let it reduce by half.

4. Add the tomatoes. Pour in crushed tomatoes and broth. Add oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.

5. Return the chicken to the pot, nestling it into the sauce skin-side up. The sauce should come halfway up the chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25–30 minutes until the chicken reaches 175°F.

6. Finish with fresh basil and capers. Serve over polenta, pasta, or with bread.

Equipment

• Dutch oven or large deep skillet with lid Recommended: Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven · Also good: Lodge 6-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
• Tongs Also good: Wok Spatula

Chef Notes

• The most important thing: Sear the chicken skin until deeply golden and crispy — 6–8 minutes skin-side down without moving. The skin renders its fat (which becomes your cooking oil for the vegetables) and develops a crust that holds up during braising. Pale, unseared chicken dissolves into the sauce.
• "Cacciatore" means "hunter's style" — this is rustic Italian home cooking. Don't overthink it. It's chicken braised in tomatoes with whatever vegetables are on hand.
• Brown the vegetables in the rendered chicken fat. The fat carries the chicken flavor into the vegetables and the sauce. Don't drain it.
• The chicken finishes cooking in the sauce — 25–30 minutes at a gentle simmer. The skin won't stay crispy (it softens in the sauce), but the flavor it contributed during searing is in the sauce now.
• This is a one-pot meal. Serve it over polenta, pasta, or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Common Substitutions

Ingredient	Substitution	Notes
Chicken thighs	Drumsticks or whole legs	Same technique, longer cook time
White wine	Red wine	Deeper, richer sauce
Cremini mushrooms	Any mushroom variety	Porcini add more depth
Crushed tomatoes	Whole San Marzano, hand-crushed	More rustic texture
Fresh basil	1 tsp dried Italian seasoning	Less bright but works

What You're Practicing

Chicken cacciatore teaches you the Italian braise — searing protein, building a vegetable base, deglazing, and simmering in tomato sauce. This is the same technique behind osso buco, chicken parmigiana, and braciole. Visit Techniques for more on braising.

You're also learning to cook in rendered fat — using the fat from seared protein as the cooking medium for vegetables. This transfers flavor and creates a more cohesive dish. Explore more at Techniques.