Chicken Cacciatora

Pollo alla Cacciatora is a proper an Italian classic, succulent chicken braised in a rich tomato sauce with herbs, olives and a hint of wine for depth. Perfectly comforting, rustic, and packed with flavour, a great midweek dish! 

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 3 chicken thighs and 3 drumsticks (bone in and skin on)
• 1 brown onion
• 3 sticks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 small red pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 15 black olives
• 400ml passata
• 100ml of white wine
• 1 ciabatta to serve (sliced and toasted with olive oil)

For the herb bouquet

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of each : parsley (plus extra for garnish), rosemary, sage and lemon thyme

Method

1. Chop into small 1 cm cubes the onion, celery, carrot and pepper. Thinly chop the garlic and make the bouquet of herbs just by tightening all of them together with some butcher string. Season the chicken with salt pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
2. Place the chicken skin side down in a medium frying pan and turn the heat on on a medium high, slowly the heat will start rendering the fat from the chicken skin. Keep cooking skin side down until golden and crispy. Cook it on the other side and cook until golden as well. Once the chicken is golden all around, take it out of the pan and set aside in a bowl. 
3. In the same pan and now with the rendered chicken fat, add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the olives and the garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. During the whole cooking frequently stir so nothing burns and everything cooks evenly. 
4. Add the herbs bouquet, a good pinch of salt, the wine and cook it off for 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce along with 150ml of water, stir it well and place the chicken back inside with the skin side up. Cover with the lid and cook for 10 / 15 minutes on a medium / medium low heat or until the sauce has reduced and is nice and rich.​
5. Meanwhile cut and toast the bread with a bit of olive oil. Once the chicken is ready serve up on each plate the sauce at the base, the chicken on top and the toasted bread on the side. Garnish with few parsley leaves. 

Watch the recipe video

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