Chicken Cacciatore

Hearty and rustic Tuscan comfort food...fall-apart chicken thighs simmered in crushed tomatoes, mushrooms, wine, peppers, onion, leeks, garlic and other good things.

The start of the new year is usually full of healthy recipes for big salads and lean proteins (and if you know me you know I love those things!) In fact, I have been siping on chilled pea soup (made with frozen peas) I made a few months ago and froze in jars. I put it in the fridge to defrost overnight for a super healthy meal when I’m hungry and on the go, recipe here. I love it cold and it’s full of protein and fiber. My 2025 plan is to send out salad recipes midweek.

sipping on a 16 oz jar of chilled pea and mint soup while packing everyone’s suitcases a few days ago - no need to heat it up

Most of the meals in this newsletter can be made in under 30 minutes. This is not quite one of those meals, but hear me out. I made it recently for a client, and it was so ridiculously tasty and cozy — perfect for January that not sharing it felt wrong. It’s only about 25 minutes of active cooking, then the oven takes over, filling your house with the savory aromas of a winter Tuscan kitchen.

Chicken cacciatore, which translates to “hunter’s style chicken,” is an Italian braised dish traditionally made with chicken or rabbit. The game plan is simple: dust seasoned chicken thighs with flour and brown them, sauté mushrooms (in that same pan), then peppers, leeks, onions, garlic, and herbs (same pan again.) Pan gets deglazed with white wine, everything goes back in along with some canned tomatoes, and then the chicken simmers in the oven until it’s fall-apart tender.

Serve with a crusty loaf of bread and a simple salad, or go ultra hearty and ladle it over creamy polenta. Rice, pasta, potatoes, farro, or any grain you like would work too. Or keep it paleo and eat it like a stew. It’s not a “quick” dinner, but it’s a memorable one and SO worth the time.

Chicken cacciatore with simple roasted potatoes

Ingredient Notes:

• If you prefer chicken breasts, use bone-in, skin on breasts, and cut them in half so they’re the size of thighs. Or use skinless boneless breasts if that’s your preference - cooking time will be cut in half for boneless, skinless.

• You can use different types of mushrooms. The key is getting a good sear on them for maximum flavor - cremini, button, shitake, hen of the woods, oyster, porcini…

• Chestnuts aren’t a classic ingredient, but I love them and had a leftover, vacuum-sealed pack from my chestnut stuffing. They feel so perfectly wintery, hearty, and “huntery” that I couldn’t resist tossing some in.

• Anchovies add a great, subtle level of flavor but you can leave them out if they're not your thing!

• If you don’t want to hassle with leeks, do a full onion and omit the leeks. You can thinly slice the onion and peppers (like in the photo below) or dice them. I’ve done it both ways and the finished dish tastes the same, but I think I prefer the veggies diced for easier eating.

mushrooms, leeks, garlic, yellow onion, red pepper, anchovies, rosemary and thyme —the building blocks of major flavor