Villa Cappelli Chicken Cacciatore

I finally got Paul Cappelli to write down his mother’s recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, which has been one of the best things I’ve ever eaten at a Villa in the south of Italy.  Or ever anywhere in the world. It’s the BEST olive oil on the planet, and once you try it, there’s no going back to grocery store lamp oil.

Recipe Notes:

I made just a few slight changes in the recipe to make sure it’s kept as low carb as possible (subbing vinegar and water for white wine), plus I selected cuts of chicken that are readily available in any market in the US.

I used legs and thighs, but you could certainly use chicken breasts, just reduce the cooking time so the breasts don’t overcook.  This is a recipe that tastes even better the longer the chicken sits in the sauce, so if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, get ready for the flavors to meld even more the next day.

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Villa Cappelli Chicken Cacciatore

(Serves 6-8)
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Carnivore, Keto, Low Carb, NSNG, Paleo

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb bone in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 1 lb skin on chicken legs
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Villa Cappelli olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes, puréed
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or Villa Cappelli sun dried tomato spread)
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 cup pitted green olives
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions
 

  • Season thighs and legs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil to medium high heat in a large flat bottom sauté pan until hot and shimmering. Brown chicken pieces, flipping halfway through, about 7-10 minutes a side. Remove chicken from heat. Add onions, garlic, sage, tomatoes, and tomato paste, also scraping up any chicken renderings sticking to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring infrequently, until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add cup of water and white wine vinegar, stir to mix with onions. Add back in chicken pieces, dredge chicken with the sauce, season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to boil. Cover, turn heat down to low, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add in green olives and peas, gently stir to mix. Cover pan again, unless sauce is too watery, then leave uncovered, and let simmer another 15-20 minutes.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

SaveSaveSeason thighs and legs with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil to medium high heat in a large flat bottom sauté pan until hot and shimmering. Brown chicken pieces, flipping halfway through, about 7-10 minutes a side. Remove chicken from heat. Add onions, garlic, sage, tomatoes, and tomato paste, also scraping up any chicken renderings sticking to the bottom of the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring infrequently, until onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add cup of water and white wine vinegar, stir to mix with onions. Add back in chicken pieces, dredge chicken with the sauce, season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to boil. Cover, turn heat down to low, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add in green olives and peas, gently stir to mix. Cover pan again, unless sauce is too watery, then leave uncovered, and let simmer another 15-20 minutes.

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16 Comments:

  • Thanks for making it so easy to print the recipes. Yes, I have “The Book”, both of them. Calm down Vinnie!

  • Paige Brooke / Reply

    I made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous. The chicken meat was falling off the bone and the flavors of the sauce were great. Thank you!

    Thank you!

  • Rose Spearrin / Reply

    This is Way……Awesome YUMMO! 😉

  • Awesome dish. We loved it!! Will make it again, and will make it for guests.

  • Anna,, when you must convert to dried herbs what’s the rule of thumb ? I have dried sage in my cupboard I don’t want to by fresh if I do not need to. . Thanks so much

    PS I always wondered this as it happens a lot, just thought I would ask ,, I do not want to buy a a bunch of something for 2 Tablespoons when I have dried in my cupboard .

    • Kathy in Colorado / Reply

      Because dried herbs are generally more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you’ll need less — typically three times the amount of fresh herbs as dry. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano, you need only 1 teaspoon of dried, since 3 teaspoons equal 1 tablespoon.

      • Hi Kathy-
        The reason I put the same conversion is that store bought dried herbs tend to lose flavor from sitting on the shelf for so long–even if they are brand new from the store, they’ve been dried out usually months before. I would definitely not reduce the amount of dried herbs in this recipe as it relies heavily on the herbal influence for its flavor. And as always, fresh is bestest if you can get your hands on them.
        XOXO
        Anna

  • I thought olives and peas, really? Totally “loved” this recipe. Will make again

  • Delicious! I had leftover chicken thigh meat that I had taken off the bone already and had saved the skin. I made the sauce using the meat and fried the skin crispy in a skillet like bacon then broke it into pieces to serve overtop. I had mine over spaghetti squash while my husband ate his over gnocchi. We both loved it.

    • Susan, that sounds absolutely delicious!! What a great idea to serve over spaghetti squash!
      xoxo
      Anna

  • Can’t wait to try!!! How would you make it in the Instant Pot?
    Thanks for all you do. I love this life.

    • I’d have to make it in the IP to give exact instructions, but you can make the sauce and then season the chicken and put it all in the instant pot on manual for 20 mins, let it naturally depressurize, and then add the olive at the end.
      xo
      Anna

  • Mark Thomson / Reply

    This was the first recipe I made out of Eat Happy Too… It is fantastic, flavoursome, easy to make and oh so good! Great recipe captured from the old Italian tradition! Nicely done.

    • Hey Thank You, Mark!! I love seeing you here, thanks for stopping by!
      XOXO
      Anna

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