Hunter's chicken
Cacciatora means “hunter's style” — by tradition it described whatever had been caught, cooked in a simple sauce from whatever was to hand. Today it is chicken browned in olive oil and braised in white wine with tomatoes, garlic, rosemary and olives. Versions differ from region to region: Tuscany adds anchovies, Umbria vinegar, the south peppers. The sauce is loose and intense rather than thick like a stew, and it begs for bread. One pan, on the table in under an hour and a half.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Preparation 10 min
- Browning 15 min
- Braising 45 min
- Serving 10 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the chicken
Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper and rub with salt and pepper. Chop the onion and crush the garlic with the flat of a knife.
Ingredients: 900 g bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Brown the chicken
Heat the olive oil in a wide lidded pan (about 30 cm — big enough for the chicken and all the sauce) and cook the chicken skin down for 8 minutes until the skin is golden and crisp, then 4 minutes on the other side. If the pieces touch, brown them in two batches. Move to a plate.
Ingredients: 900 g bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Golden skin — the sauce is built on it.Build the sauce base
Pour off the excess fat, leaving 2 tablespoons. Fry the onion 5 minutes, add the garlic, anchovies and rosemary and cook a minute, crushing the anchovies with a spoon until they melt.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 3 cloves garlic · 2 pcs anchovy fillets · 2 pcs rosemary sprigs · 200 ml dry white wine · 400 g canned tomatoes · 100 g pitted black olives · 1 pcs bay leaf · ½ bunch parsley
The anchovies vanish, the depth stays.Add the wine
Pour in the wine, scrape the base of the pan and boil 3 minutes until reduced by half.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 3 cloves garlic · 2 pcs anchovy fillets · 2 pcs rosemary sprigs · 200 ml dry white wine · 400 g canned tomatoes · 100 g pitted black olives · 1 pcs bay leaf · ½ bunch parsley
Add the tomatoes
Add the tomatoes, crushing them with a spoon, the bay leaf and 100 ml of water. Bring to the boil.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 3 cloves garlic · 2 pcs anchovy fillets · 2 pcs rosemary sprigs · 200 ml dry white wine · 400 g canned tomatoes · 100 g pitted black olives · 1 pcs bay leaf · ½ bunch parsley
Braise
Nestle the chicken into the sauce skin side up and braise with the lid ajar over low heat for 35 minutes, until tender and a thermometer at the bone reads at least 75°C. If it does not, carry on and check every 5 minutes.
Ingredients: 900 g bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1½ tsp salt · ½ tsp black pepper
Add the olives
Add the olives and cook uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the meat.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 3 cloves garlic · 2 pcs anchovy fillets · 2 pcs rosemary sprigs · 200 ml dry white wine · 400 g canned tomatoes · 100 g pitted black olives · 1 pcs bay leaf · ½ bunch parsley
Olives at the end so they do not turn bitter.Season and serve
Remove the rosemary and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper — remember the salty anchovies and olives. Scatter with parsley and serve with bread or polenta.
Ingredients: 1 pcs onion · 3 cloves garlic · 2 pcs anchovy fillets · 2 pcs rosemary sprigs · 200 ml dry white wine · 400 g canned tomatoes · 100 g pitted black olives · 1 pcs bay leaf · ½ bunch parsley
Before you start
With mushrooms
The northern Italian version adds 200 g of mushrooms fried separately in olive oil, along with the olives. That brings a serving to about 470 kcal.
Without wine
Instead of wine use 200 ml of chicken stock with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar — the acidity is needed or the sauce falls flat.
Storage
It keeps 3 days in the fridge and tastes better the next day. It freezes well for 3 months — thaw in the fridge and reheat covered.
