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This Italian dish is often referred to as chicken “hunter style,” becausecacciatoremeans hunter in Italian. Why the hunting reference? The story goes that a hunter who came back from an expedition with nothing to show for it would have no choice but to go out to the yard and kill a chicken for dinner instead. Thus, the recipe was born: chicken braised in a tomato-based sauce, with a mix of spices and veggies.

We wanted to keep that rustic Italian flavor in the dish: plenty of mushrooms and vegetables, and of course tomato sauce. Above all, however, we wanted to make this recipe as simple as possible. What could be simpler than turning to our slow cooker? Keep reading below for this great recipe…

EasyChicken Cacciatore

(Makes 4-6 servings)

Ingredients

  • 1 fryer chicken cut into serving pieces (about 3-4 pounds cut into 8 pieces) or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves.
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 red sweet pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup fresh choppedbasil
  • salt and pepper
  • a pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions

  1. Put the flour and chicken pieces in a bag and shake to coat. Add olive oil to a skillet and cook to medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown, then add garlic for 30 seconds, or until fragrant, tossing with the olive oil and chicken to coat the chicken well. Transfer chicken pieces and garlic to the slow cooker.
  2. Add the onions, peppers, and celery to the crock pot. Add the wine to the pan you cooked the chicken in, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom until the wine has reduced by half. Pour the reduced wine into the crockpot with the tomatoes, oregano, basil, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for four hours.
  4. When finished, remove the lid and keep the crock pot on high for one hour to help it thicken.
  5. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted fromItalian Food Forever

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