Easy Chicken Cacciatore — The Italian One-Pot at Fifty Days Remaining

Cody is on day six hundred and twenty. Fifty days remaining. The math has decided we are in the home stretch. Mama and I have been talking, in small careful pieces, about what the household is going to look like when Cody comes home. The job at Mr. Garcia’s shop is still there, Mr. Garcia confirmed in the letter to Cody last week. The composition book is on the counter.

And the recipe Sunday was easy chicken cacciatore from Averie Cooks. The Italian one-pot with chicken thighs seared, then simmered with sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic, a 28-oz can of crushed tomatoes, herbs, and a splash of red wine (Aunt Tammy brought a third half-bottle this fall, third time this household has had wine in the kitchen for cooking).

The math: chicken thighs $2.79, bell pepper $0.99, mushrooms $1.99, an onion, garlic, can of tomatoes $1.49, herbs, wine free. Total: about $7.26 for a dinner that fed Mama and me for three nights.

The technique is the sear-then-simmer. Sear the thighs skin-side-down for eight minutes, flip and cook three more, remove. Saute peppers, mushrooms, onion in the rendered fat. Add garlic, tomatoes, herbs, wine. Simmer five minutes. Return chicken. Cover and simmer thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened.

Mama said, eating, baby, this is the kind of dinner the Italian grandmothers make for their grandchildren.

The recipe is below. The trick is the sear and the long simmer in the same pot.

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Cooked pasta or crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
2. Sear the chicken. Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down and cook 5—6 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook another 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate; do not discard drippings.
3. Soften the vegetables. In the same pan over medium heat, add the onion and bell peppers. Cook 4—5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
4. Build the sauce. Stir in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes if using. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan — that’s all flavor.
5. Simmer with the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken thighs back into the sauce, skin-side up. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 25—30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and tender (internal temperature 165°F).
6. Finish and serve. Taste the sauce and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over pasta or alongside crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 680mg