Every year on the 15th of October is international Chicken Cacciatore Day.

Either you have not gotten over all of the delicious dishes you’ve been eating lately, and wish there was more, or you have decided to eat healthier from now on and are having trouble finding recipes that both taste good and are good for you?

It looks like a day has come around that you will positively love – Chicken Cacciatore Day!

  Mouthwatering cacciatore served with rice.

History of Chicken Cacciatore Day.

It’s probably best to start off by saying what cacciatore actually means, which will help shed some light on the dish’s origins. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and it is hunters who first ate this dish. The hunting season is different in countries around the world, sure, but this day hits most and many hunters take the chance to cook themselves a big pot of cacciatore. Mostly chicken, its the cheapest of course.

In fact, it is thought that the first Chicken Caccaiatore was not made with chicken at all, but with pheasant (nice dark gamy meat) or rabbit or other wild game sometime during the Renaissance period, so between the 14th and 16th centuries.

    „Hunting in Italy“ by Uccello c. 1470.

Chicken Cacciatore’s simple but delicious recipe was likely developed to satisfy the appetites of hunters who may have been on the track of a larger animal or herd of animals for several days, and who needed a tasty, filling stew that could easily be cooked outdoors to keep them going.

The spices used, such as parsley and oregano, would have also been readily available to humble hunters. An interesting fact is that contrary to popular belief, Chicken Cacciatore did not originally contain tomatoes or tomato sauce, as tomatoes were brought to Italy from the New World later than it would have been made for the first time.

   Pheasant hunting result in Tuscany.

When making this dish with chicken, it is more traditional to use the dark meat (thighs), not the white meat (breasts), as it contains more fat and therefore helps make a thicker, tastier sauce when cooked than lean chicken breast would.

Celebrate Chicken Cacciatore Day.

In short—learn to make you own Chicken Cacciatore! The dish is relatively quick and easy to make, quite nutritious, and the recipe can easily be multiplied to serve more if needed.
Here is a simple but delicious recipe, serves 4:

  One favorite meal out of the „Cast Iron Dutch Oven“.

Ingredients:

3 pounds (1 1/2 kg) of chicken thighs, with the bone in and skin on. You also can take drumsticks and thighs or even thighs, wings and drums, everything is fine but breasts.

some salt to taste
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 small onion, thinly sliced
2 small paprikas (green or yellow), washed, seeded, and sliced thinly
8 ounces (250 gram) button mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup Marsala or other red or white wine
3 cups peeled and chopped, firm ripe tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dry thyme (or 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped)
1 teaspoon dry oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh, chopped)

How to do.

Start by seasoning the chicken pieces on all sides with the salt.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
Place the chicken pieces skin side down in the pan and brown both sides, which should take about 5 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the pan and set aside.
Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat out of the frying pan, and then add the sliced onions, paprikas (bell peppers for our American friends), and mushrooms.
Increase the heat to medium high. Cook until the onions are translucent, and the mushrooms have become limp.
This should take about 8-10 minutes.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook a minute or so longer.
Add the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, and then add the tomatoes.
Stir in all of the spices as well as about a teaspoon of salt to taste.

Simmer everything uncovered for another 5 minutes or so, and then put the chicken pieces on top of the tomatoes and onions, skin side up.
Lower the heat and cover the pan with its lid slightly ajar so some of the steam can get out.

Proceed to cook the chicken on a low simmer, turning it from time to time.
Cook everything until the thighs are tender, which should take about 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve over pasta to soak up the juices.

Tips.

  Very tasty if you put some olives in.

  Delicious too with all kinds of mushrooms.

  Here served with whole cherry tomatos in a skillet.

          
This is a slight modification of cacciatore, all ingredients cooked separately and then brought together during serving. I like that too, because the meat tastes better grilled then cooked. One can be creative as one wants to be. Also cacciatore can be served with side dishes like salad, rice,all kinds of pasta and even potatoes, mashed or baked.

Have your favorite drink and ENJOY !!! Happy Chicken Cacciatore Day !!!