This chicken dish is rustic comfort cooking at its best, and a great addition to your cooking repertoire. With crushed tomatoes, mushrooms and white wine contributing to a tasty sauce, easy-to-make chicken chasseur is a good choice for simple fall meals – even on a busy weeknight. Read on for the recipe. 

We think of poulet au chasseur (“hunter” in French) as a Gallic country classic, but you might recognize this dish as cacciatore, (which also means “hunter” in Italian).  It seems this recipe goes back to one of the earliest post-Roman cookbooks in Europe written mostly in Danish with bits of Latin sprinkled throughout, circa 1300. This is how it appeared then:

About a dish called Chickens Hunter Style

One should roast a hen and cut it apart; and grind garlic, and add hot broth and lard, and wine and salt and well beaten egg yolks, and livers and gizzards. And the hen should be well boiled in this. It is called “Chickens Hunter Style.”

The recipe has definitely changed over the centuries. Whether you are a hunter, or just a really good shopper, this satisfying dish is easy to make and ideal for family meals. Like many rustic dishes, chicken chasseur is often tastier when reheated the next day. Try our easy recipe below, with any on-the-bone chicken cut – we used leg quarters, but chicken thighs or drums alone would work splendidly.

Ingredients

• 8 slices Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon, sliced
• 4 Green Circle Chicken, Leg Quarters
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup chopped shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 package Organic Chef’s Mix Mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 container Duck and Veal Demi-Glace
• 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• Handful chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towels to drain. Leave the rendered bacon fat in the pan over medium heat.
3. Season chicken legs with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, sear chicken in the bacon fat until browned all over, about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken to a rimmed plate and set aside.
4. To the pan add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes; add garlic and continue to cook about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and turn to coat. If the mixture seems dry, add about a tablespoon or so of water. Sauté mixture until mushrooms are softened, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, turning to coat and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in flour and continue to cook about 5 minutes more.
5. Carefully add the wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom and sides of the pan; cook about 2 minutes then stir in the demi-glace and tomatoes. Add the chicken pieces back to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Raise heat to medium-high and when the mixture starts to bubble, cover and put in the oven. Continue to cook in the oven until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes. Before serving add reserved bacon and garnish with parsley.

If you make our recipe, please let us know how you enjoy it!