My dad was a fire fighter and when I was a kid we would occasionally go visit my him at the fire house. One of the chores that was shared at his station was making shift meals, and one of dad’s go to meals was Chicken Cacciatore. To this day, this dish brings back fond memories of visiting my dad at the fire station in Oregon City. Dad served his on a bed of spaghetti noodles, but I have come to prefer serving it over polenta with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Cacciatore is an Italian word that means ‘hunter’. In Italy, when a dish is described as alla cacciatore or ‘hunter’s style’ it means braised with tomatoes, herbs, onion and wine. This receipt calls for rabbit, but I use chicken quarters as they are much easier to come by. I also like to make this on my pellet smoker, but it works just as well in the oven or simmered on a range top.

• 2 rabbits (or 2-4 chicken quarters depending on the size of your Dutch Oven)
• Kosher Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Avocado Oil (Olive Oil is traditional)
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
• 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flake (to taste)
• 1 ¼ cup dry red wine
• 2- 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems removed and coarsely chopped
• 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ¼ cup for garnish
• 1 cup dry polenta (I prefer Bob’s Red Mill)
• 1 tsp butter

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Pre-heat pellet smoker or oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the oil in a cast iron Dutch Oven over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Brown chicken on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and mushrooms and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and red chile flakes and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the wine, scrapping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the tomatoes, stock and a pinch of stock. Add the meat back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Add rosemary and bay leaves, cover and cook on smoker until the meat is tender and just beginning to release from the bone, about 1 ½ hours. Discard rosemary and bay leaf.

For the polenta

Bring 5 cups salted water to a boil. Add the polenta gradually while stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid clumping. Keep stirring until polenta starts to thicken, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the polenta, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until the water is absorbed and the bubbles hold their shape like small volcanoes. Stir in butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Spoon cacciatore over a bed of polenta, garnish with parsley and the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

This is a photo of my dad’s fire station.