Chicken cacciatore, Italian for “hunter-style,” is a rustic meal of chicken braised in a tomato-mushroom sauce. Bone-in chicken thighs offered the richest flavor, but the skin became soggy after cooking. To avoid this, we browned the skin-on thighs to create some flavorful fond on the bottom of the Dutch oven, then removed the skin before simmering the meat. A combination of red wine, chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and fresh thyme yielded a balanced, complex sauce. Cooking the thighs to 195 degrees (past the technical doneness of 175) allowed their collagen to melt into gelatin, turning them supertender and enriching the sauce. Portobello mushrooms contributed a meaty flavor, and fresh sage, added at the end, highlighted the braise’s woodsy notes. The Parmesan rind is optional, but we highly recommend it for the rich, savory flavor it adds. Depending on the size of your Dutch oven, you may need to brown the chicken thighs in two batches rather than one. Serve over egg noodles or polenta.
Ingredients
- 8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 ounces portobello mushroom caps, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups dry red wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown thighs, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer thighs to plate and discard skin.
- Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add onion, mushrooms, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps.
- Stir in broth, tomatoes, and Parmesan rind, if using, and bring to simmer. Nestle thighs into pot, adding any accumulated juices, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken registers 195 degrees, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove pot from oven and transfer chicken to serving platter. Discard cheese rind, if using. Stir sage into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.
