Two easy classic Chicken Cacciatora recipes (1962) - Click Americana (2024)

FAQs

Can you put bay leaves in chicken cacciatore? ›

As far as the bay leaves go – more is not better. Use only 3 bay leaves, maybe only 2 if your bay leaves are large. Too much bay leaf will make your dish bitter – so be warned!

Aside from the chicken, the basic ingredients in chicken cacciatore are: onions, herbs, tomatoes and sometimes mushrooms. Some variations will call for carrots and celery, while others call for bell peppers or other vegetables. Some even flavor the tomato sauce with anchovies, which I haven't tried yet.

This dish has a rich history that dates back to the Renaissance period in Italy, though its exact origins have been passed on through folklore stories and tradition. The term "cacciatora" refers to a meal prepared "hunter-style" with ingredients that a hunter might have had readily available.

Bay leaves don't hit you over the head with intense aromatic flavor presence, but if they're included in a slow simmering soup, stew, or braise, they do add a subtle flavor layer that's going to lend a little more depth to whatever you're cooking."

They seem to defy all cooking logic, and don't soften or become tender. As such, ingesting a bay leaf will result in an unpleasant sensation in your mouth, may scratch your mouth or esophagus, and could end up becoming a choking hazard.

What is cacciatore sauce made of? Chicken Cacciatore sauce is a full-flavoured sauce using simple ingredients. Onion and garlic are sautéed in oil in the same skillet with bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms and herbs. I love using brown mushrooms in this cacciatore.

Chicken Cacciatore is often served with a rustic bread, pasta, rice, my Easy Roasted Parmesan Potatoes are great wth it too or even some creamy polenta. It is one of those chicken dishes that go with just about anything.

Translation of cacciatore – Italian–English dictionary

hunter [noun] a person who hunts. huntsman [noun] a hunter.

“Taste two plain tomato sauces side by side, one of them cooked with a bay leaf or two,” says Laurie Harrsen, McCormick's director of consumer communications. “The difference it makes is amazing. It's a 'foundational' flavor, a workhorse — not the star.”

Bay Leaves

Italian cooks use these dried leaves from the laurel tree to season meat and fish dishes, as well as soups, stews, and sauces. Their flavor doesn't jump out at you instantly, but adds another layer to long-cooked dishes—bay leaves release their flavor during slow cooking.

Is bay leaf good for chicken soup? ›

My go to herbs for chicken soup are parsley, sage, marjoram & thyme. And a bay leaf. (Sorry Simon & Garfunkle!) Add your stock, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, chicken and noodles and you have a delicious soup!

Many chefs believe that bay leaves add depth to the flavour of a dish and that something is missing if the leaves are left out, possibly hinting at its role as a 'flavour enhancer'. At the same time, however, others claim that bay have no taste/flavour at all.