Chicken Cacciatore

Name: Chicken Cacciatore
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 chicken, jointed, or 8 pieces; 400 g tomatoes; 1 onion; 1 carrot; 1 celery stick; 1 garlic clove; White wine; Rosemary; Olive oil; Salt and pepper

Chicken cacciatore, or pollo alla cacciatora, is a rustic Italian chicken dish cooked with tomato, vegetables, herbs and wine. The important part is not adding everything at once. Brown the chicken first, then build the sauce in the same pan.

Good cacciatore should have tender chicken and a sauce that tastes cooked, not raw. The vegetables need time to soften and the tomato needs time to lose its sharp edge.

Brown the Chicken First

Pat the chicken dry and brown it in olive oil. This gives flavour to the pan and helps the skin or surface hold better during simmering. Do not crowd the pan; brown in batches if needed.

Building the Sauce

After removing the chicken, soften onion, carrot and celery in the same pan. Add garlic briefly, then wine. Let the wine reduce before adding tomatoes, otherwise the sauce can taste harsh.

Ingredients for Pollo alla Cacciatora

1 jointed chicken or 8 pieces.
400 g tomatoes.
Onion, carrot and celery.
1 garlic clove.
Dry white wine.
Rosemary.
Olive oil, salt and pepper.

Simmering Without Drying the Chicken

Return the chicken to the sauce and simmer gently until cooked through. The pan should bubble quietly. If it boils hard, the chicken can tighten and the sauce may reduce before the meat is tender.

Turn the pieces during cooking so they absorb the sauce evenly. If the sauce thickens too much, add a splash of hot water.

Choosing the Best Chicken Pieces

Chicken cacciatore works best with bone-in pieces because they stay juicier during the slow simmer. Thighs and drumsticks are forgiving; breast pieces cook faster and can become dry if left too long in the sauce.

If using a whole chicken, add the smaller pieces later or remove them once cooked. The aim is tender meat and a sauce that tastes rounded, not a pan of dry chicken in tomato.

How the Sauce Should Finish

The sauce should coat the chicken and pool lightly on the plate. If it is thin, simmer uncovered for a few minutes. If it is too reduced, loosen it with hot water and taste for salt again before serving.