Chicken Cacciatore

When Fabio bathes bone-in chicken legs in his marinara sauce, he comes up winning big game. It's his Chicken Cacciatore, based on the Italian peasant food he ate as a child, and it's so good, so cheap and so easy!

Tips:

  • Chicken 102: Whether braising, stewing, or grilling, chicken legs are a low-cost way to pack your meals with protein, and they're always a hit with kids. Dark meat has more vitamins than white meat, and is typically more flavorful.

  • Fabio already taught the secrets of cooking with boneless, so now it's time to conquer bone-in chicken without frying. The secret to great textured chicken skin is to flour the chicken first before frying.

  • Onions, mushrooms and olives are a great flavor base to build your Cacciatore sauce. Once they caramelize at a high heat, lower the fire, add the crisped chicken, and braise with red wine and tomato sauce. In less than 30 minutes, you can eat a peasant meal fit for a king!










Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 red onion, roughly chopped

4 tbsp. light olive oil

5-6 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped

heavy pinch salt

1 cup pitted and sliced olives

fresh ground black pepper

2 sprigs of rosemary

6 pieces dark, bone-in chicken (thighs and drumsticks)

1-2 cups all-purpose flour

3-4 tbsp. light olive oil, for sautéing

4 sprigs thyme

2 cups red wine

2 cups Fabio's Marinara sauce

Method:

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, combine onions, garlic, mushrooms, and olives with light olive oil, rosemary sprigs and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook until caramelized, about five minutes, then remove to low heat, and add thyme sprigs.

Meanwhile, generously coat chicken pieces with flour.

In a separate sauté pan over medium-high heat, sear the chicken pieces in light olive oil, until crisp on all sides.

Add chicken legs and pan drippings to the pan with the vegetables.

Add red wine and marinara sauce.

Cover with lid and cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked, about fifteen minutes.

MANGIA!