This meal came to me in a flash of inspiration. I was planning on making Chicken Cacciatore, which is hunter’s chicken. The idea behind hunter’s chicken is that men would be out hunting for poultry or rabbit, and they would make a stew out of whatever vegetables they found along the way. But then I started to think: As a woman how would I forage? My technique would be quite different. I would look for lots of fresh herbs, mushrooms, and I’d probably de-bone the chicken. Thus, Chicken Cacciatrice was born. Here is my recipe for Huntress Chicken, the feminine version of a classic dish.
Besides boneless skinless chicken thighs, my ingredients included shallot, garlic, mushroom, lots of fresh herbs (I used thyme, tarragon, parsley, and a bay leaf), chicken broth, tomato sauce, and vermouth.
I served Chicken Cacciatrice with mashed potatoes and peas. This recipe would also work well over egg noodles, pasta, or rice. But I thought the mashed potatoes worked perfectly.
This meal came out so amazingly delicious. I hope you try it!

Chicken Cacciatrice
Equipment
- 1 cast-iron braising pan (or any deep skillet that can go from stovetop to oven)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup all-purpose flour for dusting
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12-16 whole button mushrooms stems trimmed
- 2 ounces dry white vermouth
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as thyme, tarragon, parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- Pinch cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Warm olive oil in braising pan over medium-high heat.
- Tap the chicken thighs in flour to coat. Add to pan of hot oil. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Don’t be tempted to turn them too soon. Brown the chicken thighs and remove.
- Add shallot, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan. Stir to coat with chicken juices. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Uncover, carefully add vermouth, and deglaze the pan scraping up all the brown bits. Allow to cook for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol.
- Add the chicken broth and herbs. Bring to a boil and reduce for a few minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, being sure to coat each piece in the juices. Add salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Cover and put in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve with mashed potatoes and green vegetable of your choice. Garnish with parsley.
I loved this recipe so much!!
Thank you, Chris. Enjoy!