Chicken Cacciatore with Pasta
A rustic stew of chicken thighs, tomatoes, vegetables and fresh herbs topped over rigatoni.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbs Italian seasoning
- 1.5 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the dredge
- ¼ cup flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the sauce
- ½ red bell pepper chopped
- ½ yellow bell pepper chopped
- ½ yellow onion chopped
- 6-7 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 28oz can San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup red wine I used a merlot
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1.5 tsp oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 7 fresh basil leaves julienned
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- 8 oz rigatoni
Instructions
- Add the seasoning to the chicken and mix. Make the dredge by combining everything. Coat chicken in the dredge, shaking off any excess and setting the chicken aside.
- Add some olive to a skillet with high sides and set heat to medium high. Brown your chicken in batches to ensure you aren't crowding the pan. (If you pack in too much, you'll be steaming your chicken rather than browning it.) Cook for 3–4 minutes per side and then remove to a plate and set aside.
- Now add a touch more olive oil along with the onions, peppers and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and let cook until the onions soften, about 5-7 minutes. Lower the flame if necessary so that you don't burn anything. Add the chopped garlic and let cook for one minute, or until fragrant.
- Now add the red wine and let reduce by half (about 4 minutes). Once reduced, add the tomatoes from the can (along with the sauce). Now I like to actually pour the 2 cups of chicken stock right into the can and swirl it around (I do this so that I can get whatever sauce is left over.) Pour that into the pot along with the tomato paste, salt, pepper, oregano, red pepper flakes and fresh herbs. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower to a simmer and let dance away for 15 minutes.
- Now add the chicken back to the pot and nestle each piece so that it's submerged in the sauce. Bring the boil back up, then lower a bit, partially cover and let simmer for 45 minutes.
- In the last 20 minutes of cooking, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add plenty of salt and the pasta. Follow the directions on the box, then reserve a touch of pasta water and drain. Add the pasta back to the pot along with the pasta water and stir. Once the chicken is ready, add a few spoonfuls of sauce to the pasta to coat it.