Ligurian chicken chasseur (pollo alla cacciatora)

Ligurian chicken chasseur, cooked in a casserole pan, is a classic of our regional cuisine. There are many variations according to region but also between individual families. I have written down my mother’s version which, followed step by step, has never failed me.

This recipe, like that for Ligurian rabbit, clearly has country roots: a dish of white meats (therefore less expensive) stewed and flavoured with simple ingredients which change according to the area: chicken, tomato, garlic, rosemary, white wine, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil. In Liguria some add Taggiasca olives.

The name alla “cacciatora” probably refers to the use of garlic and rosemary which is the same for all the dishes which bear this name: two ingredients that hunters have always used to flavour wild game.

Chicken chasseur is, therefore, a dish cooked by the poor but extraordinarily tasty. Rarely included in restaurant menus, it is perfect to prepare at home to make everybody in the family happy.

Here are some ideas for a complete ligurian menu: