Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Catch this food holiday while you can – October 15 is Chicken Cacciatore Day!

While you’re frying up some eggs and bacon, we’re cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today’s food holiday.

There’s something so comforting about eating a bowl of slow-cooked food on any day. If you’re not ready for the richness of red meat, try this Italian classic – cacciatore.

Meaning “to hunt,” cacciatore is an Italian stew traditionally made with rabbit or chicken. Today’s culinary celebration honours the latter, and probably more prevalent.

Cacciatore is relatively easy to make and only requires a few ingredients.

Here’s a quick recipe;

Start by browning floured and seasoned chicken pieces. While dark meat is preferred for flavour and because it holds up better in the braising process, you can use light meat if you prefer. Then, cook a chopped bell pepper and onion in the remaining chicken fat. Deglaze the pan with white wine, add tomatoes in their juice and let the liquid reduce. Return the chicken to the pan and pour in enough chicken stock to cover the meat. Simmer the dish until the chicken is cooked through.

Cacciatore is most often served with a piece of crusty bread, but rice and pasta can also be used to beef it up.

The dish doesn’t vary too much by region – probably the most notable difference is in the type of wine used. Some parts of Italy prefer white wine, while others use red.

Here is a kore complete recipe;

Chicken Cacciatore

Preparation time: 20 min – Cooking time: 45 min – Serves 4

Ingredients

30
ml 
olive oil

1 

onion – finely sliced

2 

cloves of garlic – crushed

2 

sticks celery – finely sliced

2 

carrots – peeled and finely chopped

2 

bay leaves

2 

sprigs thyme

8 

skinless chicken pieces

Zest of 1 lemon

1 
cup 
dry white wine

1 
cup 
tomato puree

1 
cup 
chicken stock

250g 
pitted black olives

10 
g 
fresh parsley – chopped

Rissoni (pasta rice) to serve

Method

Heat a little olive oil in a heavy based pot and sauté onions, garlic, celery and carrots for a few minutes or until golden brown.

Add bay leaves, thyme, lemon peel and chicken and brown well.

Pour in wine, tomato puree and chicken stock and allow to simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked and is tender.

Stir in olives and chopped fresh parsley and serve with Rissoni.

Remember too that October 15 is also Roast Pheasant Day and Mushroom Day