Chicken Cacciatore is one of my all time favorite Italian dishes. I love the rich flavor of the sauce served over rice. I also like this dish because it is so versatile. See my cook’s notes for all of the various ways to shake up this dish.

It is also a great dish to make in a crock pot or slow cooker. You can easily brown the chicken and then add your sauce and everything and cook on low for about 5-6  hours or on high for about 3-4 hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Chicken cut into pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 2 thick slices of pancetta, chopped into cubes
• 1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 large onion sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons of flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle each side of the chicken parts with salt, pepper and a light dusting of flour.

Heat a large heavy Dutch oven pan or large pot over medium high heat. Brown the chicken a few pieces at a time until they turn the color of a brown paper bag. You aren’t cooking the chicken completely you are just browning it. As each piece is browned place the chicken on a separate plate and continue until all the chicken is browned and removed from the pot. Turn down the heat and in that same pot add the butter, onion, garlic and pancetta.

Cook the onion mixture until brown over medium heat then add the chicken back into the pot. Pour in the white wine and cook for a minute or two then add the tomatoes and the chicken stock.

Season again with salt and pepper. Add the sugar, oregano and basil.

Stir a little, cover the pot and simmer for about 1 hour and 30 minutes over medium low heat. At this time you can add the sliced red pepper, mushrooms, peas, or any other twist you would like to the recipe.  Cover again and cook for another. 30 minutes.

Once cooked transfer the chicken to a serving plate and serve with rice.

Cook’s Notes:

I like to vary my recipe from time to time so it isn’t boring. Here are some other things you can add to this recipe.  One sliced green pepper, 1 Rosemary Stalk, a few sage leafs, or a cup of frozen peas.