Chicken Cacciatore Over Creamy Polenta
Finger licking Chicken Cacciatore with braised poultry pieces simmered in spices with crushed Italian tomatoes, mushrooms, green pepper, served over a bed of polenta!
Chicken Cacciatore
When the temperatures drop the best way to warm up is with hearty casseroles and stews. Nothing beats the winter chill than a homemade warm meal. Am I right?
Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish with many variations.
Some recipes are heavy on the vegetables making it a favorite part of the dish, while other recipes are quite simple concentrating on layering flavors in the sauce.
This recipe focus on the later. Green bell pepper and two types of mushrooms are in this dish completing the veggie quota.
The remaining ingredients are just as simple, but when combined together this chicken cacciatore is loaded with flavor!
Before I tell you the key to creating a warm earthy aromatic sauce can we take a second to swoon over these gorgeous rustic, elegant and well-made Lenox® dishes?!
Truth be told, I lean towards simple white dishes for everyday use, but when Lenox® sent the French Perle Groove in Ice Blue to take a close look at my heart went pitter-pat.
No joke. I’m crazy for beautiful stoneware.
I also like mixing patterns so under the ice blue you’ll see the intricate details of the classic French Perle in white. Isn’t the design so pretty?
Perfect for everyday use as well as for entertaining.
This Chicken Cacciatore is definitely a meal that I would share with guests. Chicken is a typical dish to serve for friends, but this meal isn’t your standard dish.
Guests will most likely request seconds!
The sauce in this recipe is over the top scrumptious! It’s simple to make, but there is one ingredient that enhances the flavor immensely.
Don’t leave out the dried porcini mushrooms.
Prepping the mushrooms takes a few extra minutes (15), but it’s a simple step.
Hydrate the mushrooms by soaking them in about a cupful of water, and watch the release of a dark flavorful broth form.
Save the broth!
The addition of the broth adds the most intense flavor to the sauce as it simmers with the crushed tomatoes with the red wine. You’ll be tempted to eat it like soup!
Serve the chicken over a pillow of polenta and let the sauce soak in ensuring every bite is flavorful!
Cacciatori Chicken and Polenta Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 – 4 pounds chicken skin on pieces (I used thighs and legs)
- salt and pepper
- 1 3/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 cup water room temperature
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 tablespoons butter divided
- 6 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced
- 2 cups Italian Tomatoes crushed
- 1 cup red wine
- 1/4 cup porcini mushroom broth
Instructions
- Soak Porcini mushrooms in water for 15 minutes. Reserve the broth.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides (about 7-10 minutes).
- Remove the chicken and place in a baking dish.
- In the same skillet add remaining tablespoon of butter and oil. Saute fresh mushrooms until soft. Fold in bell pepper slices and garlic. Add crushed tomatoes, rosemary, bay leafs, red pepper flakes (optional), porcini mushrooms, 1/4 cup porcini broth, and wine. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour the sauce over the chicken pieces. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Serve with polenta.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
Besides the complexity of this dish, it is definitely worth the effort. This is a mouth-watering recipe, Sandra!
Thank you, Agness! It really is a delicious meal and quite simple to make too.
I love that you served this over polenta! Great idea! And those dishes are beautiful!
I don’t make polenta enough. It’s so good with saucy dishes like this chicken cacciatore. Aren’t the dishes dreamy? 🙂
This makes me drool! My parents used to make chicken cacciatore at their restaurant when I was little and it always brings me home. She puts her over pasta but I really want to try it over polenta. Lenox has some gorgeous patterns. I couldn’t afford Lenox when we were getting married but when we went on our honeymoon we won settings for four at the resort. I was so proud to have my parents over to eat on it when we returned!
Awww, I love your Lenox story! How lucky to win a setting. They have so many beautiful patterns. That’s the difficult part – picking just one!
This looks fantastic!!
I love those rustic, classic dishes for serving this rustic, classic dish!
I love your description of soaking the mushrooms and the amazing broth that comes from it – just makes my mouth water – as does your pictures of this amazing meal!! Fabulous!!
Wow! I just saved this recipe. My family will LOVE it!!!
Super! Hope your family enjoys this meal!
This is such a wonderful recipe for dinner; my whole family will love it! And Lenox is always wonderful!
Awesome recipe! I love rustic Italian meals like this one. And Lenox… everything they make is gorgeous! Love the blue of these dishes!
Thanks, Angela! I know, the ice blue dishes are just gorgeous. You can never have enough dishes, right?!
This dish looks amazing and sounds absolutely delicious! The dinnerware is gorgeous, too!
This recipe is exactly the sort of thing my husband would love. I have bookmarked this to cook later. Love the dinnerwear too, pretty but sturdy. Can you buy this brand in the UK?
Hi Bintu! You can buy Lenox dishes and giftware online at https://www.lenox.com/ I’m pretty sure they ship all over the world. Hope you love the recipe! It’s delicious!
Chicken cacciatore is one of my favorite dinners ever. Oh and I love the plates, they look awesome!
Chicken cacciatore is such a classic dish, and I need to make it more often. I’m in love with the dishes. They’re so pretty and practical!
This Chicken Cacciatore looks so yummy! I love that you paired it with polenta. One of our favorite restaurants make the dish the same and it’s fabulous. I bet your’s is just as delicious!
Thanks Holly! The polenta really does add a nice creamy flavor. I love that the sauce soaks in adding more flavor.
This looks both amazing and tasty!
Thanks, Hannah! The leftovers are the best 😉
Love all the fresh ingredients used to make recipe. I have everything to make and can’t wait to see what the family thinks tonight!
Hope they love it as much as we do, Jessica! Thanks for swinging by!