Cacciatore Chicken Thighs with Whole Grain Pasta
Serves 6
Rachael likes to use earthy dried mushrooms and their rich broth in her version of this Italian hunters’ stew. In her family, it’s served with farro or polenta; regionally, it can be made with or without the chili pepper.
Ingredients
- A fat handful of dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 12 chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- Flour, for dredging
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3-4 large cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine or an additional 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 cans Italian tomatoes
- A few leaves of basil, torn
- 1 pound farro or whole wheat pasta
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Pecorino cheese, freshly grated
Directions
- Place the mushrooms in a small pot and cover with stock. Bring the stock to a boil and reduce the heat to low simmer to reconstitute the mushrooms.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge lightly in flour.
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in two batches until crispy on both sides. To the pan drippings, add the onions, garlic and red pepper and stir to soften. 5-6 minutes. Add the wine or additional chicken stock to deglaze the pan and let it reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and break them up; stir in a few leaves of basil.
- Remove the mushrooms from the stock with a slotted spoon; chop them and add them to the sauce. Add all of the mushroom stock except for the last 2 tablespoons or so to prevent any sediment from the mushrooms from getting into the pan. Simmer the sauce for 20-30 minutes at a gentle bubble to thicken a bit.
- Add the chicken back to the sauce and simmer for 20-30 minutes more to cook the chicken through. If serving as a main dish and the pasta as a first course, remove the chicken to a warm serving platter and cover to keep warm. If you are serving the pasta as a side dish, this is not necessary.
- While the chicken cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking liquid and drain the pasta. Return it to the pot and toss with the starchy cooking water, butter, about one-third of the chicken and mushroom sauce and the parsley. Toss to combine and emulsify. Adjust salt and pepper, to taste; transfer to a warm serving bowl and top with a little more sauce and Pecorino cheese.
- Top the chicken with a little extra sauce and pass any remainder at the table in a gravy boat. If you are serving the chicken as a main course separate from the pasta, round out the meal with green beans and or a salad of arugula and red onion.