Chris Arellanes

Name: Chris Arellanes's Winning Chicken Cacciatore
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks; 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to season; 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, sliced; 1 red bell pepper, sliced; 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered; 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced — cooked, never raw; 1/2 cup dry red wine; 1 (28 oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp dried oregano; 2 sprigs fresh rosemary; 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives; 2 tbsp capers, drained; Fresh basil, torn, to finish; 1 cup polenta, cooked in whole milk, to serve

Chicken Cacciatore

S43E5 Italian · 2026

Raised in a Buddhist monastery, trained in Michelin-level kitchens, now runs Addicted Hospitality. Cooked his late grandmother's cacciatore while Lori Greiner yelled "Crush Bobby!" from the judges' table. Bobby went so hard on raw garlic the judges staged an intervention. Scott Conant: "Bobby lost twice today."

Chicken Cacciatore

25 min Prep

1 hr 10 min Cook

6 Serves

Ingredients

3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to season
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced — cooked, never raw
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (28 oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives
2 tbsp capers, drained
Fresh basil, torn, to finish
1 cup polenta, cooked in whole milk, to serve

Instructions

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high and brown the chicken skin-side down 5-6 minutes until deeply golden; flip for 3 more. Work in batches; remove to a plate.
In the same pot, cook the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms with a pinch of salt for 6-7 minutes, scraping up the fond, until softened and browning at the edges.
Add the garlic and cook 60-90 seconds until fragrant and just golden — cooked through, never raw.
Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then deglaze with the red wine and reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, oregano, and rosemary. Nestle the chicken back in skin-side up with any juices. Bring to a simmer.
Cover partially and braise at a low simmer for 40 minutes, until the chicken reaches 175°F and pulls easily from the bone.
Stir in the olives and capers for the final 10 minutes. Taste before adding any salt — both bring plenty.
Meanwhile, simmer the polenta in milk per package timing, whisking often, until creamy. Serve the cacciatore over the polenta, finished with torn basil.

Inspired by Chris Arellanes’s winning chicken cacciatore. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.