CHICKEN CACCIATORE – Recipe by Piero Benigni – This is a delicious and very popular dish everywhere in Italy. It requires no particular skill, it’s cheap and can be prepared in about 75 minutes. The sauce is rich, savoury and should be quite abundant. There are several versions, including some “whites ones” with no tomatoes, but I’m giving you the true and traditional recipe with tomatoes and olives. Just carefully follow the directions and enjoy this outstanding dish!
Ingredients for 2-3 persons
- 750 gchicken (about 26 oz)
- 60 gcarrots (2 oz)
- 60 gcelery (2 oz)
- 160 mlonion (6 oz)
- 300 gtomatoes (pelati or sauce, 11 oz)
- 1 clovegarlic
- 1 sprigparsley
- 2 leavessage
- 1 pinchrosemary (needles)
- pepper (black or red hot, at taste)
- 4 spoonsolive oil
- 100 golives (black, brown or green, in water – 3 oz)
- 1 spoonflour
Tools for chicken cacciatore
- Cooker
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Poultry shears
- Pan
- Wooden Spoon
- Fork
- Scale
Getting ready
Chop onion, carrot, celery, sage, parsley, rosemary and garlic all together. Cut chicken into pieces and remove all the fat you can. I also remove most of the skin because of its high content of triglycerides but if you don’t care, leave it. Season with salt, pepper and flour. Pour in the pan 4 tablespoons of olive oil, let it heat up and add chicken. Cook over medium flame on both sides for 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. When ready remove from the pan, let the oil drop down and set aside.
Check that enough olive oil is left in the pan, otherwise pour 1 or 2 spoons more. Add the chopped vegetables and herbs and cook them over a gentle flame for 20 minutes. Stir frequently and be careful not to burn them.
Cooking the chicken cacciatore
Return the chicken pieces and arrange them next to each other among the vegetables. Pour a glass of hot water, cover and start cooking almost completely covered over a gentle flame. The liquid should be just simmering.
After 10 minutes add tomatoes, if pelati smash them with a fork. Continue cooking as before, almost completely covered. Stir and turn the pieces every now and then. If the liquid level becomes too low, add some more hot water. After 30 minutes add olives. After 10 more minutes stir and check if the sauce is well seasoned. Add salt and/or pepper if necessary. REMEMBER: Do not put salt before the olives have given their salt to the sauce! The total cooking time is about one hour and is done when brisket and thigh are tender and easily pierced by a fork. Uncover, increase the heat and stir until sauce is medium thick. Serve hot with some chopped parsley on top.
This dish can be kept 2 days in the fridge and frozen with a 3 months life in the freezer.