A very dear friend of mine, Chris, who just happens to be a fireman with the Orlando Fire Department, shares my passion for cooking and delicious food.

Chris and I were talking recently, he told me that he’d like to make a dish for the men and women at the fire department. I have the perfect recipe for him, my Chicken Cacciatore.

This dish is one that braises chicken low and slow and is basically done in one large pot. I’ve made it on top of the stove, but it can be done, just as easily, in a large disposable pan with a tight-fitting lid, in the oven. Delicious and easy, this recipe can easily be translated into serving a large number of people.

For this recipe, I chose a Pappardelle pasta. Pappardelle is a thick cut pasta.  This style of pasta allows the sauce to cling to the noodles really well. Egg noodles would also work great and are readily available in most grocery stores.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time For Roasting Chicken: 20 to 25 minutes
Cook Time: 58 minutes
Total  Time: 1 hour 43 minutes
Yields: 4 servings
Equipment: 2 rimmed baking sheet pans, 1 (6-quart) Dutch oven, 1 (6-quart) stockpot, colander, Microplane, chef’s knife

Ingredients For Chicken:
4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, cut in half (yielding 8 pieces)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon of dried rosemary

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2 pints of mushrooms, sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicier)
1 tablespoon of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 tablespoon of dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of white wine (Chardonnay)
1/2 cup of chicken stock, unsalted
1 (28-ounce) can of San Marzano whole tomatoes with juice
1 (15-ounce) can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 (16-ounce) package of Pappardelle (substitute egg noodles)
Garnish with fresh basil leaves
Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Directions For Roasting Chicken:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Take the 4 chicken breasts and cut them in half (giving you 8 pieces) as shown in the pictures above. Lay them out, skin side up, on the baking sheets. Using a paper towel, pat and dry each piece really well. This will allow the chicken to brown nicely. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over each piece and rub the oil all over the top of each one. Next, sprinkle Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, and dried rosemary over each of the pieces.

Tip: Be sure to crush the dried rosemary between your fingers to release their oils.

Bake for 20 minutes in the oven. Switch the oven to broil. Let the chicken continue cooking, another 5 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and golden brown.

Note: If your oven does not have a broil option, then turn the temperature up to 450-degrees F., keeping a close eye on the chicken. Let the chicken brown and crisp up that way. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.

Directions:
In a preheated Dutch oven over medium heat, add the olive oil and diced onions. Add Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir the onions for 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent, then add in the diced bell peppers and mushrooms. Continue cooking the veggies for another 5 minutes.

As the veggies start to release their water add the minced garlic, tomato paste, oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, dried basil, dried rosemary, and dried parsley, continue stirring all the ingredients until combined. At this point, sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and stir that through. Next, add the white wine and chicken broth. Let that come to a bubble and cook for another 5 minutes.

Moving forward, add the whole tomatoes, fire-roasted diced tomatoes, and brown sugar. Using a wooden spoon, break up the whole tomatoes and stir. Add back, into the pot, the pre-cooked chicken pieces. Make sure they’re not completely submerged. Bring everything back up to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Let everything simmer together on low heat for another 45 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165-degrees F. and tender.

Transfer the chicken pieces carefully to a plate. This time, keep the lid off, turn the heat somewhere between medium to medium-high heat. Let the sauce come up to a bubble, stirring occasionally, cook for another 5 minutes. Once the sauce has thickened, turn the heat off and add in the fresh basil leaves. Stir the basil throughout the sauce.

Have a pot of the boiling salted water ready so while the sauce is thickening on the stove, you can drop the pasta and everything will be done at the same time.

To serve, place the pasta in the bottom of each serving bowl. Top with two pieces of chicken and ladle this delicious sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Directions For Making More Than 4 Servings At One Time:
Equipment: Large disposable foil pan with a tight-fitting lid, and 1 large or more than 2 1/4 sheet pans.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
Prepare and precook the chicken the same as above.
Adjust all the ingredients, from the (4 chicken breasts) 4 servings above to the amount you intend to make.

Add all the ingredients to the large foil pan. Mix all the ingredients together. Next, place pre-cooked chicken on top making sure not to completely submerge the chicken. Place the lid on tightly. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the lid, remove the chicken from the pan, and place onto a plate covered with foil to stay warm. Note: Check to make sure chicken temperature is at 165-degrees F. internally, and tender. Due to the fact that cooking on top of the stove in comparison to oven cooking times may vary.

Pour the sauce from the pan into a large pot. Turn the burner to medium to med-high heat. Let the sauce cook down and thicken, stirring occasionally. While the sauce is starting to reduce, have a pot of salted boiling water ready, drop the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the package. Once the sauce has thickened, turn the heat off, stir in the fresh basil leaves.

To serve, place pasta in the bottom of the single-serving porcelain bowl. Place two pieces of chicken on top, and generously ladle the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh basil. There you have it, my Chicken Cacciatore.

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