Cacciatore is a popular Italian dish made with chicken or rabbit in a sauce of tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and peppers. It originated during the Renaissance when wealthy hunters prepared game in the field. Chicken cacciatore is a good low-fat, low-carb option and can be easily modified to suit different tastes. A basic recipe involves browning chicken in olive oil, adding vegetables and mushrooms, stewed tomatoes, Italian spices, and white wine, and cooking for 40 minutes. It is served with pasta and is a filling meal for chilly days.
Whether someone has an Italian mamma or not, chances are they ate some form of cacciatore at home. Cacciatore is Italian for “hunter” and usually refers to the sauce that covers browned pieces of chicken or rabbit. It is a favorite Italian dish.
Cacciatore is usually made from tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and possibly peppers. It is left to cook for a long time to enhance the flavors and allow the meat to become tender. Cacciatore has its history in Italian home cooking, but got its name during the Renaissance. In those days, farmers were rarely able to afford meat and hunting was illegal in most places. However, the wealthy hunted frequently and their game was often prepared in the field.
Game tends to have a certain “taste” and the bold flavors of the hunter’s sauce, the cacciatore, helped to cover this taste and make the meat more palatable. It also had the desired effect of tenderness. Chicken in cacciatore has become much more popular in recent years, as Americans, in particular, eat far less rabbit than they used to.
In today’s world of low-fat, low-carb foods, chicken cacciatore is actually a good dish. The cook can use nonstick cooking spray or a small amount of olive oil for sautéing, and boneless, skinless chicken breasts and even skinless thighs are readily available at the grocery store. There are also many options for modifying this recipe to suit the tastes of those who will be eating it.
A good basic recipe has the cook mix salt, black pepper and paprika with about half a cup of flour and roll the chicken pieces into this mixture. The chicken is then browned in a small amount of olive oil, using a non-stick pan. When browned all over, the chicken is set aside and the cook takes a medium chopped onion and browns it with a medium chopped bell pepper in the pan. When the vegetables have started to soften, a can of mushroom chunks are added, drained, and the mixture is cooked until the mushrooms are softened.
The cook then adds a 26-ounce (768 milliliter) can of stewed tomatoes and Italian spices to taste, to the mixture and cooks it until the broth is boiling. A half cup of white wine can also be added at this time. The cook then returns the chicken pieces to the pan and covers the pan and cooks for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garlic lovers can also add the desired amount of minced garlic cloves to the onion/bell pepper mixture.
When ready, the cacciatore is seasoned with salt to taste and served with pasta. This is a filling meal that requires little effort and is especially good for a chilly fall or winter day.
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