A lot of recipes for chicken cacciatore list only bell peppers but we kick up the flavor of this favorite with several different types of peppers – red and green bells, poblanos, Cubanelles, sweet reds, and sweet yellows.  Each adds their subtle difference in flavor to make for a VERY flavorful meal, and if you want, some heat (from the seeds and membranes of the poblanos).

There is a bit of prep, but once you try our version you will gladly make this dish over and over and over.

Preparation Time:  30 to 45 minutes

Cooking Time:  40 minutes (10 minutes to brown the chicken; 30 minutes for the complete dish)

Serves:  4 (with leftovers for lunch the next day)

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken thighs (skin on or skinless; skin here)
  • (optional) 1/4 cup organic all purpose flour to dredge the chicken thighs before browning
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1 medium poblano pepper
• 1 large Cubanelle pepper
• 1 large sweet red pepper
• 1 large sweet yellow pepper
• 1 large red onion, peeled, sliced root to stem
• 1/2 lbs white button mushrooms (you can also use cremini, shiitake, or portobellos)
• 2 cups whole stewed tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 1/4 cup very dry Vermouth (our secret ingredient but don’t tell anyone)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• Kosher salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Preparation:

• Wash and pat dry each of the peppers, sliced into long strips; set aside.
• Peel the onion, slice in half root to stem then slice into long strips about 1/2 inch wide; set aside.
• Peel and mince the garlic, set aside.
• Wash and pat dry the mushrooms, slice top to bottom in 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide slices; set aside.
• Slice each of the whole stewed tomatoes in quarter sections lengthwise; set aside with juice.
• Preparing the chicken thighs:
  • Pat dry the chicken thighs, season with salt and pepper, dredge in flour (or not); set aside.

Cooking:

• Place a large frying pan on a burner set to medium-high heat, wait a minute or two to heat the pan, add the oil, wait another minute or two to heat the oil, add the chicken thighs skin side down, cook 2-3 minutes or until nicely browned then turn over to brown the other side.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and place them on a plate or bowl (you will add them back to the pan after the rest of the ingredients are started).
• Carefully pour out all but 2-3 tbsp of the oil/fat in the pan, return the pan to the burner.
• Add the onions and garlic, cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
• Add the peppers and mushrooms, stir well, cook for 2-3 minutes, add the tomatoes and vermouth, cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Return the chicken thighs back to the pan skin side up, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• The chicken cacciatore is done and ready to eat!

Enjoy!

Here it is served with our previous post…oven roasted salad turnips and sautéed greens.