For all of our readers who might not be familiar with Italian cuisine, chicken cacciatore is a dish made with chicken, tomatoes, onions, herbs, and sometimes bell peppers.

The “cacciatore” in this recipe means “hunter-style” in Italian, so it is basically based on a style of cooking that hunters used regularly during the Renaissance period to prepare gamefowl and rabbits they hunted.

This classic Italian dish might not be as popular as it once was, but it’s still popular enough for it to be given its own holiday. A day known as National Chicken Cacciatore Day is observed on the 15th of October each year.

The History of National Chicken Cacciatore Day

Chicken cacciatore is a dish that originated in the 14th century, at first with rabbit and gamefowl and then eventually with chicken. The holiday celebrating this dish hasn’t been around quite so long, however. It’s only been around for a couple of years, which means that National Chicken Cacciatore Day is about 600 years younger than chicken cacciatore itself.

Our Favorite Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

We love this dish, so we decided to leave our recipe for it below. Although we made a few simple alterations to this traditional Italian recipe, we think that most people will appreciate it. With that said, let us introduce to all of our readers the Holidays Calendar Chicken Cacciatore below.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs
• 2 chicken breasts, halved crosswise with skin and backbone
• 2 teaspoons of celery salt
• 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped finely
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon of dried basil

Directions:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.
• Combine the flour and cornstarch to make a dredge.
• Dredge the chicken in the flour/cornstarch mixture to coat lightly.
• Heat oil over medium-high flame in a heavy sauté pan.
• Add the chicken pieces and sauté until brown, about 4-5 minutes per side.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside.
• Add bell pepper, garlic, and onion to the same pan and sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion is tender and translucent.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the oregano and basil.
• Return the chicken to the sauté pan and coat them in the sauce.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer and simmer for about 30 minutes for the breast pieces and 20 minutes for the thighs.
• Check the chicken with a meat thermometer. The temperature should be 165 degrees for the breast and 170 degrees for the thighs.
• Use tongs to place chicken on a platter, boil the sauce until it thickens (about 3 minutes), and then remove the fat from the sauce with a spoon.
• Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Observing National Chicken Cacciatore Day

A great way to observe this holiday is by taking the time to make your own chicken cacciatore. Although there are literally dozens of recipes on the Internet, we decided to post our favorite above and encourage everyone to give it a try.

When you do so, be sure to leave a remark telling us what you think using the hashtag #ChickenCacciatoreDay. We’d love to hear how this recipe changed your life or at least made it more enjoyable.