Chicken Cacciatore

 Pollo alla Cacciatore

Cacciatore  in Italian means "hunter." This classic dish gets its humble "cucina povera" beginnings during the Renaissance Period when hunters in the region of Tuscany would eat this dish after returning home with their cherished meat. That is a long time ago! It originally was made with rabbit as they were and still are in abundance in the wild!  It is and continues to be made with simple ingredients that braise slowly in a tomato and white wine sauce. The wine is optional and can be omitted or even replaced with red wine.  It typically consists of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onions and spices. There are many variations of it. Some recipes can include capers, black olives, mushrooms, zuchinni and eggplant. My mother typically made this dish with freshly hunted rabbit or partridge that my dad and brothers would bring home. Over they years it had become more common to use chicken. Bone in, skin on chicken thighs and legs work the best as white meat tends to be drier. Of course, if you prefer the skin off then by all means do that!  It can be served with mashed potatoes, polenta, boiled potatoes, rice, broad egg noodles, penne, rice or quinoa. The sauce is rich and flavourful and whatever you choose to serve it with will soak up all that goodness. As you can see, there are many ways to eat this dish and as long as you include the main ingredients the rest is up to you! The recipe I am sharing with you is the one I learned from my mother. It is quite simple and I love it this way the most! As you can see this dish has SO MANY CHOICES! Remember to let your taste buds be your guide. That really is the essence of Italian cooking. ❤️Recipe easily serves 4 people.

Ingredients 

• 8 to 10 chicken legs or thighs or a combination of both (bone in)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion sliced 
• 2 garlic cloves sliced thinly
• 2 peppers (green, red, yellow, orange)sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 can of whole, peeled plum San Marzano tomatoes (796 ml)- in a bowl crush them with your hands to break them apart
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• about 1 1/2 cups chicken stock (water is fine if you don't have stock)
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes-peperoncino (QB)
•  1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp  dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• chopped parsley

 

Directions

1.  Add olive oil to a large, heavy pot with a lid or a large, deep skillet. I use a 7 quart dutch oven.
2. Add chicken pieces and allow to brown on all sides. Make sure to turn the chicken. Once golden brown remove from pot and set aside.
3. Add onions. Stir and pick up all the brown bits from bottom of pan. After a few minutes add garlic and continue to saute until onions are translucent. (3 min)
4. Add peppers ,chili  flakes and spices and stir them all up. Use less chili if you don't like it spicy. Can always add more later. Stir for a few minutes to incorporate all the flavours.
5. Make a well in middle of pot and add tomato paste. Warm up the tomato paste and then combine it with the ingredients until they are well covered. Simmer for a few minutes.
6. Add in wine and simmer rapidly. Scrape bottom to stir up any bits. The wine will evaporate and a thick sauce will begin. 
7. Once wine has evaporated (about 4 minutes) return chicken to the pot.
8. Add crushed tomatoes and about a cup of stock. Liquid should barely cover the chicken. You can add more liquid if needed later.
9. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper.
10. Bring to a simmer and cover.
11. Cook for about 1/2 hour until chicken is cooked. Taste test and adjust seasonings to your liking.
12. Cook for another half hour.
13. If sauce is too runny, you can leave lid off and high simmer for about 10 minutes to allow sauce to evaporate a bit.
14. Turn off stove when ready to eat. The sauce will continue to thicken a bit as you cook the side. Serve overtop the side of your choice and sprinkle with parsley!                        

                                         

             

                                                                                                                  

A mangia!

Fatto con amore, 

Elena 💜

instagram @mangia.con.elena