Chicken Cacciatore
Depending on whom you ask, the mild taste of chicken is either a merit or a handicap. Is it a blank canvas or a bland cutlet? The answer, of course, is that it’s both. All good cooks know this and use it to their advantage, easily transforming a ho-hum piece of chicken into a savory main dish by virtue of just a few added ingredients. When cheese is one of those additions, the dish gains exactly what chicken lacks—a melty richness, a little luxury, some softening around the flavor edges. If the cheese is a complex one, it can even add a bit of intrigue. Imagine that. Better yet, taste it with any of the main-dish chicken recipes featured here. When the bird meets curd, it’s all good.
A generous crumbling of ricotta salata (aged ricotta) adds depth of flavor to this classic Italian favorite
A generous crumbling of ricotta salata (aged ricotta) adds depth of flavor to this classic Italian favorite
Ingredients
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- about 1½ pounds
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cubanelle peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 1 14½- ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 ⁄3 cup crumbled ricotta salata
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and toss to coat. In a large nonstick pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Working in two batches, saute the chicken until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, slice the onion; then seed and cut the peppers into strips, mince the garlic, and slice the mushrooms.
- Once the chicken has been browned and set aside, add a little more oil to the skillet if necessary and saute the onion, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the peppers and saute another 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, another 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes (with their juices) and the oregano. Bring to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Top with the olives and ricotta salata and serve.
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Jacqueline Plant
Jackie Plant freelances as a recipe developer and editor/food writer for magazines and websites such as Weight Watchers, Family Circle and Culture magazines, while contributing to the development of cookbooks. She has spent much of the past 20 years developing recipes and writing about food for national magazines, such as Parents, Country Living and Woman’s Day Magazine.
