Chicken Bacon Cacciatore Recipes

CHICKEN & BACON CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large casserole dish. Brown the chicken, a few pieces at a time, until skin is golden on all sides. As each piece is done, lift out onto a plate. Turn the heat down and add the bacon. Cook gently so some of the fat melts into the pan and keep going until the bacon crisps. Lift out with a slotted spoon and put with the chicken pieces, then add the onions and rosemary to the casserole. Fry for 5-10 mins until the onions have softened, then return the chicken and bacon, along with the tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, stock and seasoning.
• Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 40-50 mins until the chicken is tender - check one of the thigh or leg joints as they will take longer to cook. Stir in the parsley, if using, check the seasoning again and serve with mash, pasta or rice if eating straight away. Otherwise, cool and chill for up to 24 hrs. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then bring out to room temperature the next day if not fully defrosted. Tip back into a saucepan, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and gently cook until chicken is piping hot. Don't boil or the chicken may toughen up.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH HARISSA, BACON, AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Put a drizzle of oil into a large sauté pan on a high heat. Use scissors to snip the bacon into bite-size pieces. Add them to the pan once hot and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring every so often, until they are browned.
• While the bacon cooks, season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper.
• Remove the bacon from the pan, leaving the fat behind, and set aside to drain on paper towels. Put the chicken in, top side down, reduce the heat to medium and leave to cook for about 4 minutes.
• Meanwhile, trim and finely slice the green onions (both the green and the white bits) and mushrooms and peel and finely chop the garlic. Run your fingers down the length of the rosemary stalks to release their leaves and finely chop them too. Set everything aside.
• The chicken pieces should now be golden brown underneath, so flip them over and leave to cook on the other side for about 3 minutes.
• Once the chicken is golden brown, turn down the heat to low and add the prepared mushrooms, garlic and rosemary, along with the tomatoes, Madeira (or red or white wine or stock), harissa paste or tomato purée and oregano, and crumble in the bay leaf.
• Give it a good stir and then leave to bubble away for 15-20 minutes, stirring from time to time so that it does not stick to the bottom.
• When the chicken dish is about halfway through cooking, add the reserved cooked bacon and green onions, then put the kettle on. Use the boiled water to cook the pasta in a large saucepan according to the package's instructions. Once it is cooked, drain the pasta and then return it to the pan with the lid on to keep warm if necessary.
• Check to see if the chicken is cooked-if the juices run clear, it is ready. Taste the sauce, adding a little sugar and/or a pat of butter if the sauce is still a bit acidic from the tomatoes. Add a drizzle of water if the sauce is too thick and let it bubble away for a bit longer if too thin.
• Divide the pasta among four plates, top with a piece of chicken breast or two thighs, spoon some sauce over and scatter with some ripped-up basil or parsley leaves, if using.

MOM'S CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake the chicken pieces in flour until coated. Heat the oil in a large skillet (one that has a cover/lid). Fry the chicken pieces until they are browned on both sides. Remove from skillet.
• Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to the skillet and saute until the onion is slightly browned. Return the chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes, oregano and wine. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes over medium low heat.
• Add the mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 more minutes.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Dust chicken with flour. Season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken on all sides in oil and butter over medium-high heat. Remove chicken to platter. , In the same skillet, cook and stir the onion, celery, pepper and mushrooms for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, wine, herbs, garlic and sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes., Return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Freeze option: Cool chicken mixture. Freeze in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through slowly in a covered skillet until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°, stirring occasionally.

CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Chop bacon into small pieces and cook until crisp. Drain and set aside.
• Saute onions and garlic until soft in leftover bacon grease, add mushrooms, carrots and celery until lightly browned, set aside.
• Add more oil if required to hot non-stick pan and brown chicken on all sides being sure to season with salt and pepper.
• Place chicken, veggies and bacon in a large stockpot with a lid.
• Mix spaghetti sauce with Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar. DO NOT be tempted to leave these 2 ingredients out, they are CRUCIAL to the taste! Pour over chicken and veggies ensuring everything is well coated.
• Add olives and stir through.
• Cover and simmer over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• This can also be baked covered in the oven for 35-40 min at 375.
• Serve with hot crusty bread for dipping in the sauce and a crisp, tangy side salad.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN CACCIATORE WITH MUSHROOMS AND BACON

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and the fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, leaving the fat behind in the skillet. Add the mushrooms to the fat in the skillet and let them cook over medium-high, stirring only a few times, until the mushrooms have shrunk, released their liquid and started to lightly brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic and tomato paste. Pour in the wine and let it come to a bubble, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.
• Add the onion, bell pepper, roasted peppers, tomatoes, capers, vinegar, oregano, red-pepper flakes and garlic powder to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Add the chicken, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper and stir to combine. Cook on low until the chicken is very tender and the flavors are blended, about 4 hours. (At this point, the dish holds well on the warm setting for several hours.)
• Using two forks, break the chicken up into large chunks. Stir in the parsley and let it warm through. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve over polenta or pasta or in hoagie rolls, if desired, or alone in bowls. Top with basil and Parmesan.