Chicken Cacciatore With Mushrooms, Tomato, and Onion Recipe

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Apr. 17, 2020
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Chicken cacciatore with mushrooms—just one of many possibilities. . Vicky Wasik

Why This Recipe Works

  • Chicken legs remain tender and juicy even with prolonged cooking, unlike lean breast meat.
  • A light dusting of flour thickens the braising liquids just slightly, making the dish even heartier.

An earthy, hearty version of the classic Italian dish, this recipe stars juicy, tender pieces of chicken leg, braised in white wine with mushrooms, onion, and tomato. Mushrooms not your thing? Try chicken cacciatore with red peppers instead. Both recipes taste like they've spent hours in the oven, even though they're done in about an hour.

Recipe Details

Chicken Cacciatore With Mushrooms, Tomato, and Onion Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Cook 75 mins
Active 40 mins
Total 80 mins
Serves 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 to 4 pounds (1.4 to 1.8kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, thighs and drumsticks split

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • All-purpose flour, for dredging

  • 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 pound (450g) cremini mushrooms, washed, trimmed, and quartered

  • 1 medium (8-ounce; 225g) yellow onion, thinly sliced

  • 5 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced

  • 3/4 cup (175ml) dry white wine

  • 1 (28-ounce; 795g) can peeled whole tomatoes, drained and crushed by hand, plus 1/2 cup (120ml) reserved juices from can

  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. Pour a roughly 1/2-inch layer of flour into a wide, shallow bowl. Dredge each chicken piece in flour and tap off excess.

  2. In a Dutch oven or large straight-sided sauté pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a platter as it finishes cooking and set aside.

  3. Add mushrooms to pan and cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until softened, about 6 minutes.

  4. Add wine and bring to a simmer. Add tomatoes and reserved juices, along with herb sprigs and bay leaf. Return to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken and any accumulated juices into liquid and vegetables.

  5. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is fully cooked through and tender and sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes. Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf. Serve right away, garnishing with minced parsley if desired.

Special equipment

Large straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
595 Calories
28g Fat
19g Carbs
59g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 595
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 35%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Cholesterol 288mg 96%
Sodium 656mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 19g 7%
Dietary Fiber 3g 10%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 59g
Vitamin C 21mg 105%
Calcium 71mg 5%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 1348mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)