Stanley Tucci's Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Stanley Tucci's

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

"Each Italian family seems to have its own variation on this classic dish. My father notes that this recipe, from the Tropiano family, is very similar to the Tucci family version. 'The only difference is that we didn’t add tomatoes or marinara sauce', he says."

Recipe is from The Tucci Cookbook, by Stanley Tucci with Joan and Stan Tucci, Gianni Scappin and Mimi Taft (Gallery Books, 2012).

Ingredients

Serves 4

¼ cup olive oil

2 red or green bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1-inch wide strips

½ pound mushrooms, cut into ¼ -inch-thick slices

One 3-pound free-range chicken, cut into serving-size pieces

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup dry white wine

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 ½ cups coarsely chopped onions (about 2 medium-size onions)

1 cup canned whole plum tomatoes or your own favorite marinara sauce

How to Cook

STEP 1

Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan set over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 2

Stir the mushrooms into the pan and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, for about 8 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

STEP 3

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the pan and brown lightly on both sides, for about 15 minutes in all. Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter and set aside. Pour the wine into the pan and stir to incorporate any cooking juices. Add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions are slightly softened, for about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, crushing them with your hand or the back of a slotted spoon as you add them to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, for about 30 minutes.

STEP 4

Stir the peppers and mushrooms into the chicken. Return to a simmer, cover, and cook to blend in the flavour of these ingredients, for about 10 minutes. The cacciatore may be set aside at this point for several hours before reheating and serving with bread to dip into the sauce.