Chicken Cacciatore
Total Time
1 hour and 10 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
55 minutes
Rating
4.97 out of 5 stars
(26)
Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 bone in chicken thighs large (1 kg / 2 lb)
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (, halved, finely sliced)
- 2 rosemary sprigs (about 15 cm/6" long), or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
- 2 bay leaves (, preferably fresh else dried)
- 3 garlic cloves (, finely minced)
- 3 anchovy fillets (or 1 tsp anchovy paste), optional (Note 2)
- 250g / 8 oz mushrooms (, sliced)
- 2 red capsicum (, sliced 8 mm thick (medium, not giant)
- 1/3 cup tomato paste
- 3/4 cup pinot noir (or other dry red wine (Note 3)
- 2 cups chicken stock/broth (, low sodium)
- 400g/14 oz canned crushed tomato
- 16 whole kalamata olives (, pitted, drained)
- 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Mashed potato ( or polenta)
- Finely chopped parsley (, for sprinkling (optional)
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Preparation
Step 1
Chicken:
Step 2
Season - Spread the chicken out on a tray. Sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
Step 3
Brown skin - Heat the oil over high heat in a large, deep, heavy based pan, preferably one with a lid (Note 4). Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown, around 6 minutes. Turn and cook the flesh side for just 1 minute, then remove the chicken onto the same tray. Then add the drumsticks and brown each side as best you can, about 1 1/2 minutes on each side (the shape makes it awkward). Remove onto the tray.
Step 4
Cacciatore:
Step 5
Onion - Pour off and discard all but about 2 tablespoons of fat. Turn the heat down to medium and let the pan cool slightly. Add the onion, rosemary leaves, bay leaves and dried oregano. Cook for 3 minutes until the onion is starting to soften.
Step 6
Garlic and anchovies - Clear a space in the middle of the pan. Add the anchovies and garlic, cooking, mashing up the anchovies, until the garlic is light golden, then stir it into the onion.
Step 7
Vegetables & tomato paste - Turn the heat back up to high. Add the mushroom and capsicum. Stir until softened - about 5 minutes (the mushrooms will go watery then the water will evaporate). Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the sour flavour - do not shortcut this.
Step 8
Sauce - Add the wine. Stir, bring to simmer then allow to reduce by around 75%. Add the stock, canned tomato, salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer.
Step 9
Simmer - Then carefully place the chicken into the sauce (skin side up) and pour any juices on the tray in as well. When the liquid returns to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to medium then simmer energetically for 20 minutes. Remove lid, add olives, simmer for a further 10 minutes (no lid). This will reduce and thicken the sauce.
Step 10
Serve - Serve the chicken with plenty of sauce over mashed potato or polenta, sprinkled with parsley if desired.
Step 11
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