cacciatore au vin

cacciatore au vin

i found a chicken cacciatore recipe i wanted to try and realized that adding wine and reducing the sauce at the end of the cooking process made the sauce extra delicious.  hence, the lengthy title. this dish is great reheated the next day but don't be surprised if there are no leftovers : )



prep & cook time: 2 hours (plan on lots of stirring and reducing)
ingredients:

• 4 drums, 4 thighs, skin on
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• palm of fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano)
• 4 to 6 tomatoes, rough chopped
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup good red wine
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced in thirds

preheat oven to 350 degrees. saute onions and garlic in skillet with the butter and olive oil for about 10 mins until slightly translucent.  next, add tomatoes, bay leaves, chicken stock and cook until reduced and thickened (about another 10 mins).

while that's reducing, drizzle the chicken pieces with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. in a large cast iron skillet on med/high heat, brown chicken on all sides until the skin is nice and crispy. when done, pull chicken out of the skillet and set aside.

cook the mushrooms in the same skillet the chicken was cooked in and add oil as needed if the mushrooms get dry. once the mushrooms are dark and juicy in texture, strain the tomato mixture into mushrooms by pushing it through a sieve with the back of a wooden spoon (small batches at a time) and stir together.

cook the mushroom/tomatoe mixture down and add wine, olives and herbs (and a little more chicken stock if it seems dry). then, return your chicken to the skillet and bake it at 350 for about 35 minutes.

while the chicken bakes, do up all of your dishes and have a glass of wine.  then, remove the skillet from the oven and with tongs, place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and broil them for about five minutes until they're dark and crispy. 

while the chicken is broiling, lightly boil the mushroom/tomato mixture on the stovetop until it reduces by about a fourth.  the sauce should coat the back of a wooden spoon once it's thickened.

plate the chicken, pour sauce over top and serve. roasted potatoes seasoned with herbed butter pair very well with this!