Chicken Cacciatore is easy to make and easy on the budget! So it routinely makes it onto my meal plan.
Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. It refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style”. Back in old Italy, I can just imagine the Mrs. putting on a pot full of veggies and waiting for the Mr./hunter to come home with the meat she would add to it. That might be a rabbit or a pheasant then but nowadays the most common cacciatore dish is made with chicken. It can include any variety of veggies you might have on hand.
What ingredients go into my Chicken Cacciatore?
Like any classic dish, there are a million versions out there. Many of them are passed down thru their families. I have perfected my own version over the years but will change or leave out some of the veggies depending on what I have on hand.
I use skinless, boneless chicken thighs most of the time but I do use chicken breasts sometimes. Brown them in a lightly sprayed skillet and a teaspoon of oil, just to give them some color, but not till done. Set them off to the side and use the skillet for the rest of the recipe.
The rest of the ingredients are simple fridge and pantry staples. The basic onions, celery, carrots, peppers mix get cooked down.
Then add the chicken back to the pan.
Arrange the mushrooms and olives around the chicken pieces. (I love sneaking an extra veggie in here with some spinach. It will cook down with the mushrooms.)
Mix the tomatoes, broth, and herbs in a bowl. Pour the mixture over the skillet. Covering everything as much as possible. Crushed tomatoes count a little differently than fresh tomatoes for the Portion Fix. They are denser than fresh and so 1 cup equals 2 Green containers. I have some more information about tomato products in this blog post.
Finishing the Chicken Cacciatore
I let the oven do the rest of the work! If you preheat the oven before you start to brown the chicken then it will be ready to slide the whole skillet into the oven.
The serving size is 1/4 of the pan. One thigh and the veggies and juice surrounding it. The Portion Fix/ 21 Day Fix container count is 1Red, 2Green, 1/2Orange, and 1 oil teaspoon.
Chicken Cacciatore {Portion Fix/21 Day Fix}
Ingredients
- olive oil spray
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs, skinless
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced small
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- 1 large/28oz can, crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 30 medium olives, black, green, kalamata, or a mix of them, sliced or whole
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- To an oven-safe skillet add olive oil spray and olive oil, heat to medium.
- Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and brown for 3 minutes on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- To the same skillet add onions, celery, carrots, and peppers. Cook till the onions are clear.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet. Arrange sliced mushrooms and olives around the chicken.
- Mix the crushed tomatoes, broth, and spices together and pour that mix over the chicken.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
Portion Fix/21 Day Fix Container Counts: Serving Size is 1/4 of the pan- 1Red, 1Green, ½Orange, 1teaspoon
What do I like to serve with this chicken dish?
The fact that this chicken dish doesn’t have any Yellow containers in it gives you the perfect opportunity to serve it with one. I love served over whole wheat pasta or with a baked potato.
Delicata Squash Fries would be good with it and will give you an extra veggie. Recipe HERE.
These Garlic Smashed Potatoes are perfect with it! Recipe HERE.
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