California Fig Chicken Cacciatore

Servings: 4 to 6

Prep Time
Cook Time
Total Time
Source
By Robert Del Grande

Ingredients

  • 1, 3-pound chicken
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 ounces California Dried Figs, stems removed and roughly chopped, about 5 figs
  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
  • 1, 24-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1, 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 4 inches each
  • Grated parmesan for garnish

Directions

  1. Breakdown the chicken by cutting it into eight pieces – two legs, two thighs, two wings, and two breasts.

  2. Heat the olive oil in a 5-to-7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken in the oil to lightly brown both sides of each piece. Remove to a platter.

  3. Add the onions, garlic, fennel seeds, and figs to the Dutch oven and saute until lightly brown and aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes.

  4. Add the vinegar and reduce until almost dry. Add the crushed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Reduce heat and cook slowly until fairly thick, about 10 minutes

  5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

  6. Transfer half of the sauce to a bowl and reserve for serving. Add the chicken back to the Dutch oven and move the pieces around in the sauce to coat them. Arrange the pieces in a single layer, skin side up. Nestle the rosemary sprigs over and beside the chicken pieces.

  7. Bake the chicken for approximately 45 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The chicken will release some juices as it cooks generating a nice sauce.

  8. Serve the chicken in the sauce and serve the additional sauce on side with grated parmesan for garnish.

Note:

  • If you don’t have a Dutch oven, the chicken can be browned and sauce made in a skillet. Then bake the chicken with the sauce in a 9-x-13-baking dish.