If you’re wondering what to serve with chicken cacciatore, I’m here to guide you. Whether you’re craving a sweet, light, or savory side to pair with your main meal, I’ve got you. Pretty soon, you’ll choose a bunch of side dishes; with enough to make a feast!
Table of Contents
- What is Chicken Cacciatore?
- What Goes With Chicken Cacciatore?
- Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- Serve it Up with Chicken Cacciatore
- What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore – FAQs
What is Chicken Cacciatore?
The term cacciatore means “hunter style” in Italian. The dish features mushrooms and bell peppers simmered in a rich tomato sauce, intensified with the inclusion of wine, capers, and herbs.
Traditionally, this stew was cooked over an open fire, with whatever the hunter had caught. this could be a rabbit, game birds, or pheasants. Any part of the animal could be used for this stew. Often the meat would be cooked in the stew for a long time to tenderize the meat.
What Goes With Chicken Cacciatore?
While chicken cacciatore can be served on its own, or with a slice of some crusty bread, there’s no harm in trying out a few delicious recipes.
Choose from a variety of scrumptious side dish ideas, to really get your tummy rumbling!
- Oxo roast potatoes
- Mashed potatoes
- Crispy garlic parmesan potatoes
- French baguette
- Fried gnocchi
- Crunchy green salad
- Italian lentil salad
- Garlic stuffed mushrooms
- French fries
- Roasted brussels sprouts
Oxo Roast Potatoes
Roast potatoes are a popular side dish to go for, when it comes to serving suggestions for soups and stews. The best type of roast potatoes to have with chicken cacciatore is oxo roast potatoes.
The potatoes are boiled briefly to ensure a fluffy interior, and crisp exterior. The addition of beef stock cube only enhances the delicious flavor.
Mashed Potatoes
A heaped serving of mashed potatoes is always appreciated alongside a rich and flavored stew like cacciatore.
If you want to shake things up a little, then you can opt for sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, for the ultimate delicious meal.
French baguette
A side of crusty French bread, accompanied by a bowl of chicken cacciatore makes for an amazing dinner. Especially when using the softened interior of the bread to soak up all the amazing savory juices.
When hosting a dinner party, French baguette is an ideal side to serve and allow guests to help themselves to as much as they want.
Spread a glob of salted butter over some sliced French baguette for ultimate satisfaction.
Crispy Garlic Parmesan Potatoes
If you love roast potatoes, you’re going to love crispy garlic parmesan potatoes, they certainly go down a treat!
Once you’ve had your first bite, you’ll want to make these over and over again. You can include any flavorings you like, from fresh herbs to a sprinkling of garlic powder, for a flavorful punch.
Fried Gnocchi
Fried gnocchi is another amazing side dish to serve alongside chicken cacciatore. It’s crisp, fluffy, and ever so satisfying. If you’ve never tried gnocchi before, then this is your sign to go ahead and make some.
Gnocchi is a little like pasta in the sense where it is boiled and served with a thick sauce. In this case you would fry your gnocchi, and serve them topped with chicken cacciatore, or simply served alongside it, to dip and delight your taste buds.
Crunchy Green Salad
You can never go wrong with serving salad for dinner. The best part is, this salad can be prepared ahead of time, cooled in the fridge, and ready to serve.
Add a drizzle of light vinaigrette for the salad dressing and you’re goof to go!
Italian Lentil Salad
Last night’s veggies? No problem! Just toss them into this Italian lentil salad, and you’re good to go!
Make a quick dressing with extra virgin olive oil, a dribble or lemon juice, and some red pepper flakes for seasoning.
Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms
When it comes to Italian cuisine, there’s so much to go for. And these garlic stuffed mushrooms are the perfect addition to any Italian meal.
They can be served as a starter, or a side dish, depending on what you plan to sink your teeth into first!
Add a generous helping of cheese, before placing them under the grill to melt and become deliciously gooey for you and your guests to devour.
French Fries
While this may not be a unique side dish for chicken cacciatore, it really is delicious!
French fries are the ultimate side dish to have alongside almost any meat-based meal, so why not appreciate it’s crispiness with a little cacciatore sauce?
Simply dip and indulge! You can also opt to eat this with malt vinegar!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussel sprouts may have adopted a bad reputation, but they deserve so much better!
Apart from the over boiled mush you may have eaten as a child, they can be pretty delicious when prepared with love!
- Simply slice them in half, add a drizzle of olive oil,.
- Roast them in the oven.
- Once they’re nice and brown, squeeze some lemon juice, followed by some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
These little balls of magic will have you licking your fingers in no time.
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
You’ve got the side dishes, now it’s time to make the main meal!
Take a look at the recipe below:
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, finely minced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 5 sage leaves
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- Handful of black olives
Instructions
- Pat the chicken pieces dry, then season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large lidded pot, over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the oil, for 3 minutes per side, then transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and set them aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and red chili, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook, remembering to stir, preventing the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the vegetables are nice and tender, stir in the bay leaf, rosemary sprig, and sage, then add the chicken pieces back to the pot.
- Pour in the red wine, and let this simmer over medium heat, until the wine has reduced. Stir in the tomatoes, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer, until the sauce has thickened.
- Uncover, add olives, and taste adjusting the seasoning accordingly.
- Serve with slices of bread.
Serve it Up with Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore can be served with almost anything you can think of. From crunchy salads to softened potatoes, there’s no limit to these mouth-watering options.
So get cooking!
What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore – FAQs
What Sides go With Italian Chicken?
Caesar salad, baked potato chips, pasta salad, garlic bread with cheese, mashed potatoes with herbs and more.
Is Chicken Cacciatore Better With Red or White Wine?
Tomato based chicken dishes like chicken cacciatore go better with light red wine than white wine, as it helps balance the neutral acidity of the tomato.
