Chicken Cacciatore
| Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 60 min |
| Servings: 4 | Skill Level: medium |
Serve this hearty Italian dish with pasta, rice, polenta, or roasted potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2½ pounds)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large rib celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, scrubbed and diced
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, peeled and pressed
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine or chicken broth
- 28oz can diced tomatoes
- ¾ cup Pearls Specialties Kalamata Olives
- ¾ cup Pearls Specialties Garlic-Stuffed Queen Olives
Cooking Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a large braising pan over medium heat. Carefully add the chicken, skin side down (it will splatter) and cook without moving until golden, 8-10 minutes. Turn and brown on the second side, 5-7 minutes. Remove from the pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Return the pan to medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Add the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced, 1-2 minutes.Stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables, then add the canned tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Nestle the chicken thighs back into the pan, skin-side up, cover, and cook until the chicken is very tender and cooked through to 165°F, 30 minutes.
- Stir in the olives and cook 10 more minutes, uncovered. If the sauce is watery, continue cooking until it thickens. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a bit of red wine, chicken stock, or water. Top with fresh thyme and serve.
