Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore with Parmesan Polenta

This is an update to a recipe originally published in 2013.  "Cacciatore" means "Hunter" in Italian, so Chicken Hunter-Style is what this original recipe was all about and in its traditional form, it is a time-consuming dish to make.  Chicken pieces are dredged in flour and skillet fried, then placed in a stewing pot with tomatoes, mushrooms and herbs for a period of time until done, served with rice, pasta or as is presented here, polenta.  In the South, this method of preparation would be called "smothered," and more likely served along side mashed potatoes.

My Number One Fan found this easy recipe made in a crock pot that requires no frying of the chicken ahead of time.  The recipe is from an unattributed website, but originally did not include mushrooms or green bell pepper, which I have added.  True Cacciatore traditionally contains mushrooms and very often, green bell pepper, although I suspect the latter was an Americanized addition when the dish became popular after WWII GIs returned home, having eaten the dish during and after the liberation of Italy.

Original versions of Chicken Cacciatore would include the whole chicken and in fact, as the name "Hunter" implies, very well contained fowl other than chicken, such as grouse, dove, pheasant and wild turkey.  I prefer to use leg and thighs of chicken and omit the breasts, which cook more quickly and because they have less fat, tend not to hold up as well to the stewing process.

In any event, this is one of those delicious dishes that you can assemble in the morning, cook all day, and sit down in the evening to a hot, comforting and delicious meal.  I serve this along side Parmesan Polenta, the recipe for which is below.

Ingredients
3-5 lbs chicken pieces - we use four thighs and five drumsticks, about 4.5 pounds
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, diced
2 tbs garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, roughly diced
8 oz mushrooms, fresh sliced or canned
1 14.5-oz can petite diced tomatoes (like, Hunt's)
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock (like, Kitchen Basics or Swanson)
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp each salt & black pepper

The Recipe
Pre-heat the crock pot by filling with hot water and allow to sit for at least thirty minutes on the "high' setting. When ready to assemble the dish, drain the crock pot entirely.

Put onions and green bell pepper on the bottom of the crock pot.  Combine the garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, white wine, chicken stock, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, salt and pepper in and mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Put the chicken pieces on top of the onions and peppers, and pour everything else in over the chicken. Add the bay leaves and stir well to ensure everything is combined and that the chicken is completely submersed in the liquid.  Add more wine or chicken stock if you need more liquid.

Cover and cook on high until simmering, then set the crock pot on low for a total cooking time of seven hours.  Remove bay leaves, then serve over rice, pasta or with my recipe for Parmesan Polenta.

About the Polenta
There's a lot of misinformation about polenta on the Internet. Foremost, it isn't called "polenta" until you make it. Polenta is made from yellow corn meal, which typically is course-ground, but you can use medium or even fine ground yellow corn meal.  You do not need to buy corn meal that is called "polenta."  That's just marketing.

Ingredients
For the Polenta
4 cups water
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup medium ground yellow corn meal (like, Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Stone Ground)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, the Kraft Green Can)

The Recipe
Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour corn meal slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until there are no lumps.

Reduce heat to low and simmer. The mixture should still be slightly loose at first, but whisk often until it starts to thicken.  Cook for 30 - 35 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes or so. When the polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a spoon. Polenta is done when its texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.

Turn off heat and gently stir the butter and cream into polenta until the butter melts; mix the cheese into the polenta until it has melted. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken.