Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore is an authentic Italian classic comfort food that’s naturally gluten-free. Tender pieces of boneless chicken thighs, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and garlic simmering in a rustic stew-like tomato sauce will create the most amazing aromas in your kitchen. Pour yourself a glass of red wine and enjoy a plate of cacciatore on its own or with gluten-free pasta for dinner tonight!
Equipment
- 5 1/2 quart Dutch Oven
- Glass mix bowls
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2.5 - 3 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- 1 medium white onion peeled and chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 2 large green peppers seeded and chopped
- 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1/2 cup gluten-free dry red wine
- 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes you can substitute canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- gluten-free pasta
- freshly grated Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- Start by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a 5 ½ - 6-quart or pot over medium-high heat; cook the chicken thighs in batches once the oil is hot.
- Cook the chicken thighs for 3-4 minutes on each side. You’re just browning the chicken; it will finish cooking in the sauce. Place the cooked chicken in a bowl while you cook the other ingredients.
- In the same pot, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onions until soft and transparent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
- Then, add in the peppers and mushrooms and cook until soft. Stir in the thyme and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Pour in the red wine and let it cook for 2-3 minutes or reduced. While the wine is simmering, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. You’ll get a lot of flavor in those bits!
- Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Give the sauce a few stirs, and return the chicken to the sauce.
- Add the bay leaves.
- Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let the sauce simmer on low for an hour. The chicken should be tender, moist, and falling apart, and the sauce should be a deep red color. With a large spoon break the chicken into chunks after it cooks.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- If needed, season with salt, then serve hot over gluten-free pasta or your favorite side.
- If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of chicken broth and stir.
Notes
** Nutritional information includes 1 cup of sauce and 1/2 cup of pasta.
To Store
- Place the leftover cacciatore sauce into glass storage containers and refrigerate. It will last for up to 3 - 4 days. After that, I recommend freezing it.
- A tip is to portion it out with pasta into individual containers. Keep the pasta separate from the sauce so it doesn’t get mushy. During the week, heat it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Mix the pasta and sauce, and dinner is ready!
- First, you can put the sauce into a labeled freezer bag, flatten it out, and freeze it. After it’s frozen, place it wherever you want in the freezer. Flattening out the bag helps if there’s not a lot of room in the freezer.
- My favorite way to freeze sauce is to use silicone trays to freeze into one or 2-cup portions.
- To warm up, add the sauce to a pan and heat over low to medium temp until hot.
- You can also create a freezer meal using 2-cup silicone trays. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom, 1-cup of cooked pasta on top of the sauce, and freeze. After it’s frozen, remove it from the tray and put it into a large freezer bag to freeze.
- Warm the freezer meal up in the microwave for 4-5 minutes or until hot. Stir the pasta and sauce together, then enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 397kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 35gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gFiber: 4gSugar: 7g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!