Chicken Cacciatore. A quicker, easier version.

No need to spend all day slow cooking chicken cacciatore, this easy shortcut recipe takes only one hour to bring all the traditional flavour to the table.

Chicken Cacciatore.

Originally published March 19, 2019.

Cacciatore is traditionally braised chicken, cooked in a spicy tomato sauce. While I do like the flavours here, I’m not always a fan of braising chicken.

That’s especially so when mixing white and dark pieces together. The dark meat will braise well while the breast pieces are almost always too dry.

One whole chicken cut into 8 pieces

Yes, I am a bit fussy about food texture.

Although the chicken pieces are also traditionally browned before braising, I am also not a fan of chicken skin that softens and gets a bit slimy during the slow simmering process.

The same goes for wings that are simmered in sauce. You will find plenty of chicken wing recipes here on Rock recipes but they are always baked or fried to crisp the skin.

I just don’t enjoy them any other way.

Deconstructing Chicken Cacciatore.

In this case I deconstructed the cacciatore, making the chicken and sauce separately.

The chicken is quickly dredged in simply seasoned flour and herbs or just a little flour ands garlic powder if you prefer. It’s then quickly baked at high heat to crisp the skin.

Chicken Cacciatore.

The sauce and rice are easily prepared in the time the chicken is in the oven, making this flavourful family meal easily able to be accomplished in only an hour.

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One Hour Shortcut Chicken Cacciatore

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

One Hour Shortcut Chicken Cacciatore - a shortcut version of the classic chicken dish, that bakes the chicken separately to keep it juicy and crispy. A fantastic family meal in only an hour!

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Ingredients

• 3 pounds pounds chicken pieces, bone in, skin on

For the chicken dredge.

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• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder , (optional)

For the Chicken Cacciatore Sauce

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• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup red onion, chopped
• 4 cups canned tomatoes, pureed
• 1/2 cup white wine, or chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 cup red or green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• a couple pinches salt, to season
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 1 cup crimini mushrooms, or button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

You will also need

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• 1/2 cups white rice

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix together the flour, 1/2 tsp of thyme, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp salt. 1/2 tsp pepper & 1 tsp garlic powder.
3. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and add the chicken pieces, coating them well in the flour dredge. (You may not need all the dredge mixture)
4. Place the chicken pieces on a lightly oiled baking sheet and spray the tops of the pieces with a little more oil, using a spray bottle. (Helps the chicken brown)
5. Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the skin is well browned and the internal temperature of the largest pieces reaches 170 degrees F.
6. While the chicken in in the oven, prepare the sauce. Begin by softening the onions and garlic in the 3 tbsp olive oil.
7. Add the tomatoes, wine, chili flakes, bell peppers, brown sugar, thyme, oregano, grated carrot, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Simmer slowly while the chicken cooks.
8. In the last 20-25 minutes of cooking time, slowly simmer 1 1/2 cups basmati rice in 3 cups of salted water or low sodium chicken stock. Drain if necessary.
9. While the rice is cooking add the mushrooms and olives to the pot of sauce.
10. Serve the chicken and sauce over the rice.

Notes

The prep time and cook time overlap here. The sauce can be made as the chicken bakes so the total time should really be about the 60 minutes or so.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1 serving (Chicken and
Amount Per Serving Calories 728Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 266mgSodium 764mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 6gSugar 12gProtein 66g

The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.

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