This recipe is a twist on one I saw recently in Fine Cooking for a Veal Cacciatore. I'm not one who has a problem eating veal from a philosophical stand point, but in this particular dish chicken makes an easy and cheap substitute with hardly any impact on the flavor of the final meal.
While this is a one pan meal, it is cooked in stages so that each component can be done to perfection, then combined and reheated at the last minute. This dish is super easy, and just loaded with flavor, especially if you take the time to extract every little bit of moisture from the mushrooms, and caramelize them to a rich brown like you see in the photo above.
Most cacciatores are long cooked affairs that render the meat dry and stringy. Not so here. The cutlets get quickly sautèed then combined with a fresh tomato pan sauce infused with rosemary, and the umami laden mushrooms. Try this one soon, you'll be a fan, I promise.
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 8 chicken cutlets, about 1/4-1/3 inch thick
- 4 tablespoons EVOO
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- Leaves from 1 large sprig of rosemary, finely minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pour enough EVOO into a large skillet to fully coat the bottom and set the pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, toss in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally until they have released all their moisture and caramelized to a rich, dark brown. Pull them from the heat and dump them off into a bowl, reserve in a warm spot.
- Season the cutlets liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour in a shallow bowl, then dredge each cutlet in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Put the pan back over the heat and add some fresh oil. When the oil is shimmering, but not yet smoking, and working in batches, cook the cutlets till golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the cutlets to a plate or cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Put the pan back over medium heat and add the butter, onion, and garlic. Cook stirring frequently until the onion is translucent. Add the wine, tomatoes and most of the rosemary, turn the heat to medium-high and cook until reduced to a sauce-like consistency. Turn the heat to low, add back the chicken and mushrooms, spooning the sauce over the cutlets. Check for seasoning adjusting as necessary.
- Serve with your choice of side dish, sprinkling the remaining rosemary on each cutlet when plated, and topping with freshly grated parmesan if you wish.