Chicken Cacciatore is a very popular dish in Italy where Cacciatore means hunter in Italian. It refers to a meal prepared in hunter-style with tomatoes, onions, herbs and bell pepper. The basic recipe usually begins with two tablespoons of oil, heated on a large frying pan. Then marinated chicken pieces are seared in the oil for couple of minutes on each side. Finally the chicken pieces are cooked in tomato based sauce. It is often served with a rustic bread or pasta on the side.
This is my second and last one of the recipes from the joint work with Ragu. They were looking for new spins on their old recipes. They had some guidelines that I had to follow and the recipe should be simple, easy, quick but creative. But the timeline given to me to complete two recipes was very short and so didn’t have much time to think about being innovative. When I read the recipe of chicken Caccitore, immediate thought came to my mind was to make it like a curry! Though Cacciatore is always served with pasta or bread, my curry is perfect to serve with hot steamed rice. Earlier I heard from some of my friends that you can cook Indian chicken Curry with Pasta sauce. So this recipe should not sound too weird to my Indian readers. I am very happy that I tried out this recipe because the twist gave a new flavor to the dish and everyone in my family loved it.
Recipe of Chicken Cacciatore with a Twist ( Chicken Curry with Pasta Sauce ) : serves 4 to 5
Inspired by Ragú's authentic Italian recipe collection
Prep time : 20 mins Cook time : 20 mins Total time : 40 mins
Ingredients :
Chicken : 2 lb, medium sized pieces
Lime juice : 2 tablespoon
Garlic Paste : 2 tablespoon
Chili Powder : 1 teaspoon or as per tolerance
Oil : 2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon
Red bell pepper : a small one or a half (sliced)
Onion : a small one sliced
Ragu® Old World Style® Traditional Pasta Sauce : 8 oz
Salt : as per taste
Method :
1. Wash and pat dry the chicken pieces. Add the lime juice, salt, chili powder and garlic paste to the chicken. Toss it and mix it well, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
2. Take a big non-stick pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat it up. Once oil is ready add the chicken pieces to the pan.
3. Brown the chicken pieces on each side over medium-high heat.
4. Once done, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
5. Clean the pan by scraping off the sticky part. Add two tablespoons oil. Once oil is hot, add the sliced onion and red bell pepper. Cook it for couple of minutes until they become tender and lightly brown.
6. Stir in Pasta Sauce and bring to a boil over high heat. Add chicken to the pan, reduce heat to low and cover it with lid. Stir occasionally, and let it simmer for around 10 minutes or until chicken is soft and tender.
7. Check the consistency, (you can add half cup of warm water if it becomes too dry). Check the seasoning, add salt if required. Stir it well and switch off gas. Serve hot with steamed rice or bread.
Note : You can try the same recipe with Tofu or with Panner ( Indian Cottage cheese ).
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