Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 4-6 | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 50 minutes

This is a classic Roman dish known as the ‘hunters stew.’ It was made out of whatever game was caught. Chicken is most common for us, but could be made with pheasant, duck or any kind of poultry. I like to eat this with pasta and a big green salad. This recipe is adapted from Saveur

Ingredients

1⁄4 cup (60g) extra virgin olive oil
1 (3-4 lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (really no need to get rosemary for this amount)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf (fresh if possible)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2⁄3 cup (100g) white wine
1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1⁄2 cup Gaeta olives, pitted and lightly smashed (or castelvetrano)
1⁄4 cup capers, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Chef Tips

Don’t limit this to just pepper and onions. Fennel and mushrooms make combination to this classic dish.

Preparation

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottom pot over medium-high. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Working in batches, cook chicken until browned, 10 to 12 minutes, and transfer to a plate. Add the rosemary, garlic, bay leaf, carrot, bell pepper, and onion to skillet and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

Step 2

Return chicken to the skillet and add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and stir in olives, capers, and parsley. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and serve with the sauce spooned over the top.