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traditional Italian chicken cacciatore

Italian Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Silvana Nava
Chicken Cacciatore (Pollo alla Cacciatora) is a chicken recipe typical of traditional Italian cuisine. It's a classic dish of home cooking, tasty and flavorful.
Everyone in Italy has cooked it at least once, from north to south. For this reason it's obvious that there cannot be a unique and precise recipe for Pollo alla Cacciatora. Exactly as it happens for the spezzatino recipe or other classic dishes of family tradition.
5 from 3 votes
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Meat
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 3579 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg chicken ~3 pounds
  • 450 g tomatoes 1 ½ cups of peeled tomatoes or tomato passata
  • 1 onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 stick celery
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 150 ml red wine ½ cup
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • black olives pitted (optional)
  • salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • To make chicken cacciatore, start by preparing the chicken. If you bought it whole, cut it into quarters and then separate the chicken thighs, breast and wings. Remove excess fat but do not remove the skin completely.
  • Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and seeason with salt and pepper, then add rosemary, garlic, half a glass of wine and two tablespoons of oil. Stir and cover. Allow to marinate for about 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the soffritto. Peel the onion, peel the carrots and finally remove the tuft from the celery. Then cut everything into very small pieces.
  • In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. It doesn't take long for the skin of the chicken to release its fat during cooking.
  • Now put in the chicken pieces well drained from the marinating liquid (but keep it aside because we will need it for cooking). Cook over high heat for a few minutes, turning it on all sides.
  • When the chicken has browned in all its parts, especially the skin, add the chopped vegetables and the marinating liquid with the garlic and rosemary. Stir everything well and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat.
  • Now raise the heat and deglaze with the remaining red wine. Let the alcoholic part evaporate completely. Then turn the heat down.
  • Remove the garlic and rosemary, add the peeled tomatoes with their juice for a rustic tomato cacciatore sauce and stir.
  • Cover with a lid and cook over moderate heat for about 45 minutes. If you like, add some pitted black olives (optional). Obviously the cooking time depends a lot on the size of the chicken pieces. However definitely not less than 30 minutes from now. The chicken is ready when the meat pulls away from the bones and the sauce has set. If the sauce is too runny, cook for another 5 minutes without the lid, turning up the heat.
  • When cooked, add salt and pepper to your taste. Then let the chicken rest for a few minutes before enjoying it. Add a little fresh rosemary and serve this traditional chicken cacciatore hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 100gCalories: 3579kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 2gFat: 389gSaturated Fat: 114gPolyunsaturated Fat: 80gMonounsaturated Fat: 178gCholesterol: 319mgSodium: 38mgPotassium: 486mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 6081IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 38mgIron: 1mg
Keyword chicken cacciatore recipe
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