Hunter's Chicken is found across Northern Italy, with many variations. This version uses meaty bone-in chicken thighs and is full of onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. It’s also delicious served over egg noodles.
Per serving: 430 calories; 17 g fat (4 g sat, 8 g mono); 100 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 3 g fiber; 757 mg sodium; 809 mg potassium; 0 g added sugars
Carbohydrate Servings: 2
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 fat
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium (23% daily value), Iron (18% dv), Magnesium (16% dv)
Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. EatingWell cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium onions
2 garlic
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
12 bone-in chicken thighs
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 cup of dry white wine
1 1/2 pound of button mushrooms
4 plum tomatoes
1 cup of reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/3 cup of cornmeal
6 cups of cold water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of thinly sliced fresh basil
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until the onions are very soft and translucent, 2 to 4 minutes more. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a bowl; set aside. Remove the pot from the heat.
Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken in the flour. Gently shake off any excess.
Cook the chicken in 2 batches in the Dutch oven, using 1 tablespoon oil for each batch. Cook over medium-high heat, turning once, until browned on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Pour wine (or vermouth) into the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and rosemary. Return the reserved onions to the pan. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices, making sure each piece is partially submerged. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Partially cover the pan and cook, gently stirring once or twice, until the chicken is very tender, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, water and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and very creamy, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, while you finish the stew.
Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Bring the liquid in the pan to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Skim or blot any visible fat from the surface. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken to the pan.
Gently stir in basil. Serve the stew over the polenta.
This is a tremendously unfussy dish. Do what your eaters like with the veggies, remembering that the stirring and the heating will break them down with or without your help. Personally, I chop the onions very coarsely, smash the garlic, and buy a box of chopped Pomi Italian tomatoes for it. If the mushrooms are bigger than my thumb, I chop them in halves or quarters.
Don't forget the reggiano parmigiano or romano cheese!
This looks great, probably tastes great as well. But unless you've actually made it before, the recipe is somewhat useless. There's no clue about how to actually prepare - do you slice or chop the onions? Do the tomatoes just go in the stewpot whole, or are they to be crushed or sliced, or diced? The way the recipe is written leaves too much to chance.
Also, if you add up the times in the recipe, they do add to 150 minutes. BUT, there are actually two things cooking at the same time (the chicken and the polenta), so it really only should take about 90-100 minutes.
Maybe the other 50 minutes is for figuring out how to make this dish successfully.
This looks very delicious. I can't wait to try it.