~Amanda~
For Christmas this year, I got something that I have been lusting after for ages… my very own Le Cruset dutch oven! It is beautiful and blue and everything I ever thought it would be. I couldn’t wait to put it to use and I decided to christen it with one of my favorite recipes that I have always wanted to make in a dutch oven – Chicken Cacciatore! Chicken Cacciatore is a traditional Italian dish made with chicken (or back in the day rabbit was very common) and lots of veggies, herbs, and tomatoes (fun fact – tomatoes were not originally part of a traditional chicken cacciatore, they only became part of it when they were brought to Italy from the new world much later in time, but I think they are such a great addition to the dish, I couldn’t imagine it without them!). This is such a clean and healthy meal plus it makes the perfect warm and comforting meal on a cold winter night. I timed my meal planning out perfectly this week – the day I planned to make this was the same day we had a huge snowstorm and Conor and I were both home from work for a snow day and were craving a warm, comforting meal for dinner!
The version I make uses onion, peppers, carrots, and mushrooms as the vegetable base. You do not have to use all of these if you don’t like something – I did use mushrooms this time around, but normally when I am making this for Conor and me, I omit them because he is not a fan. At all, but he sucks up his dislike for me when I add them because he knows that I love them. Once the vegetables are softened, it’s time to add the chicken. Depending on the size of the pot/skillet you are using, you can either push the veggies to the side and add the chicken in with the veggies to brown it. My pan is a half size one and there wasn’t room to sear the chicken with the veggies, so I just took out the veggies, seared the chicken until golden brown on all sides, and then added them back in. So simple!
Now the best part – add in the tomatoes, put the lid on, and put it IN THE OVEN to cook! None of my pans are safe for use IN the oven, so this was super exciting for me to move something from the stovetop and into the oven in the same pan. It’s the small things in life that make me happy haha. The house filled with the amazing aromas of the veggies, chicken, red wine, and tomatoes over the next hour and we were so ready for dinner when the time came. To serve, you can have the chicken and veggies as is right out of the pan (which is what we normally do), but you can also serve it over some rice or pasta if you’re craving a little bit more of a carb heavy meal. Either way is awesome and will leave you full and satisfied. Enjoy!
- 6 skinless chicken thighs, bone-in
- Salt and pepper, for seasoning chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 small yellow pepper, diced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
- 10 mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
- 8 sprigs of thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅔ cup red wine
- 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in eighths
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne
- Optional: Feta and cooked rice, pasta, etc for serving
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy cast iron skillet or dutch oven.
- Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds until just golden. Add the onion, peppers, carrot, mushrooms and herbs and sauté for 5 minutes until everything begins to soften.
- Remove the vegetables from pan, add a dash more of olive oil then add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden brown.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan with the chicken and pour in the wine and allow it to simmer and reduce for 5 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Roma tomatoes and chill flakes. Season with salt and pepper to your tastes.
- FOR STOVE TOP: cover with lid, reduce heat and allow to simmer (while stirring occasionally) for 30-40 minutes or until the meat is falling off the bone. Add in the olives, allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- FOR THE OVEN: cover with lid and place in a 375 degree oven and cook for 50 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes, then add in the olives and cook for 10 more minutes until the meat is falling off the bone.
- Serve immediately as is or over rice or pasta if you desire.
