Despite many claiming its origin, it seems that the original recipe for chicken cacciatore was born in Tuscany. A timeless recipe, just like baked thighs, which has the typical taste of home: the one that restores, comforts and above all, gives a feeling of wellbeing. We can say with absolute certainty that chicken cacciatore is exactly on a par with pizzaiola-style meat, so they can be considered as the two highest institutions of our Italian popular cuisine. For those who do not know this wonderful recipe, it is chicken cut into pieces, sautéed in a pan and flavored with classic scents: onion, celery and carrot. A very simple yet delicious main course that can even turn into a rich recipe only and exclusively by fulfilling the most important task: the scarpetta in the delicious sauce! Now let’s move on to the preparation of chicken cacciatore. That there are many versions, such as chicken cacciatore in bianco, is a well-known fact, so we thought of giving you ours, the one that made us feel right at home. If you want to accompany it with a side dish, we can suggest the flag, an Umbrian version of peppers. If you love tasty sauces, don’t miss another succulent dish like our chicken alla Norma or chicken pizzaiola!
Chicken cacciatore
Ingredients:
– 1.3 kg whole chicken
– 400g peeled tomatoes
– 1 golden onion
– 1 carrot
– 1 celery stick
– 1 garlic clove
– 100g red wine
– Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
– 1 sprig of rosemary
– 1 bunch of chopped parsley
– Salt and black pepper, as needed
– 518 calories per serving
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation: 20 min
Cooking: 50 min
Servings: 4 people
Cost: Medium
Preparation:
1. Start by cutting the vegetables. After peeling the onion, also peel and trim the carrot, and remove the top from the celery. Finely chop everything until you get 2-3 mm cubes.
2. Clean the chicken by cutting it into separate pieces: thighs, breast and wings.
3. Heat a drop of oil in a pot. Add the chicken pieces, starting with the skin side down.
4. Let it brown for about ten minutes, turning it over every now and then.
5. Add the chopped celery, carrot and onion, and then the peeled garlic clove, salt, pepper and rosemary. Stir and let everything flavor for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the red wine and let the alcohol evaporate completely.
7. Remove the rosemary and garlic clove, and then add the chopped peeled tomatoes.
8. Stir everything well and cover with a lid. Let it cook on moderate heat for 30-35 minutes.
9. If the chicken is larger, then you will need to increase the cooking time a bit, and vice versa if it is smaller. In any case, the chicken is ready when the meat falls off the bone easily.
10. At the end of the cooking, check if it needs more salt and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
11. Your chicken cacciatore is ready to eat, enjoy!
12. Chicken cacciatore can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days, tightly covered with cling film. If you prefer, you can freeze it once cooked, if you used fresh ingredients.
13. During the summer season, use fresh tomato pulp. During the rest of the year, use canned peeled tomatoes or tomato sauce to obtain a thicker sauce. If you don’t like parsley, you can skip it. If you want to give more flavor to the recipe, add a sprig of sage in addition to the rosemary.