Cold Weather Comfort Food – Chicken Cacciatore

The harsh weather is abating, but we still have cold weather, rain, and light snow in the line up. I’ve been doing stews and they have meet with good reviews at the lair, but I need to expand the horizons to keep the menu from falling into a rut.

I have a chicken I bough with the intention of making stock, but as an evening’s planed work at a client took a bit more energy and time than planned. I did not make the stock today. But a quick search turned up an Italian chicken stew that is usually served over pasta or noodles.

Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. In cuisine, “alla cacciatora” refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, herbs, often bell pepper, and sometimes wine. Usually made with braised chicken (pollo alla cacciatora) or rabbit, In southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine while northern Italian chefs might use white wine.

A basic cacciatore begins with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil heated in a large frying pan. Chicken parts, dusted with salt and pepper, are seared in the oil for three to four minutes on each side. The chicken is removed from the pan, and most of the fat poured off. The remaining fat is used to fry the onions, mushrooms, peppers or other vegetables for several minutes. A small can of peeled tomatoes (drained of liquid and coarsely chopped) is added to the pan along with some oregano and a half cup of dry red wine. The seared chicken parts are returned to the pan which is then covered. The dish is done after about an hour at a very low simmer.

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