Chicken Cacciatore

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Cacciatore braised with peppers, olives and red wine in a rich tomato sauce — rustic, hearty and delicious. This Italian hunter-style chicken stew is the ultimate winter warmer.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Cacciatore

Servings:

Calories: 561kcal

Author: Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

Equipment

Ingredients

For the chicken

4 chicken leg quarters (chicken marylands) or see note 1
1 tsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
3 tbsp olive oil

Cacciatore Sauce

1 onion , finely diced
5 cloves garlic , whole and unpeeled
4 bay leaves
1 green bell pepper , chopped
1 red bell pepper , chopped
1 lb (450g) cherry tomatoes , halved see note 2
1 tbsp tomato paste
4 anchovy fillets (or 1 tsp anchovy paste) very finely chopped, see note 3
½ cup (250ml) dry red wine
14 oz (400g) canned crushed tomatoes or passata
½ cup (85g) pitted black olives , divided see note 4
3 fresh rosemary sprigs

To serve

1 tbsp fresh rosemary or parsley , finely chopped, to garnish
salt and black pepper , if needed

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt, pepper and pinch crushed red pepper flakes. Dust the chicken with cornstarch (cornflour) and set aside for five minutes.
4 chicken leg quarters, 1 tsp sea salt flakes, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp cornstarch
Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet (I used my cast iron braiser). Place the chicken on the hot skillet skin-side down and cook over hight heat until golden, about 5-6 minutes. You may need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan. Flip over and cook for a minute longer then set aside onto a plate.
3 tbsp olive oil
Turn the heat down and allow the pan to cool down a little. Add the onions, whole garlic cloves and bay leaves. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for five minutes. At this point you can add the peppers and cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
1 onion, 5 cloves garlic, 4 bay leaves, 1 green bell pepper, 1 red bell pepper, 1 lb (450g) cherry tomatoes
Stir in the chopped anchovies and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the red wine, increase the heat back to high and simmer until the wine is reduced slightly and the wine aroma dissipates.
1 tbsp tomato paste, 4 anchovy fillets (or 1 tsp anchovy paste) , ½ cup (250ml) dry red wine
Add the canned tomatoes, half the olives, and rosemary sprigs. Stir well and bring to a rolling simmer. Place the chicken back into the pan with any juices released while it was resting. Cook with the pan partially covered for 20 minutes.
14 oz (400g) canned crushed tomatoes, ½ cup (85g) pitted black olives, 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
Take the lid off and pick out the garlic cloves – the flesh should now be mellow tasting and very soft. Squeeze out of the skin, mash with a fork and add back into the sauce together with remaining olives.
Continue to simmer, uncovered, for a further 10 minutes or until the sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through.
Discard the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs. Add the remaining olives and scatter with finely chopped rosemary or parsley. You should not need to add any salt but have a taste just in case. Serve over polenta, mashed potatoes or simply with some crusty bread.
1 tbsp fresh rosemary or parsley, salt and black pepper

Video

Notes

Note 1: use bone-in skin-on chicken pieces such as thighs and/or drumsticks instead of chicken leg quarters. Chicken breasts are not really suitable here.
Note 2: You can replace the cherry tomatoes with a second can of crushed tomatoes (so use a total of 28oz / 800g). Add a spoonful of brown sugar if needed to balance the acidity.
Note 3: Replace the anchovies with a two teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar or fish sauce.
Note 4: You can use capers instead of the olives if you like.
Leftovers and storage: Cooled leftovers keep for 3-4 days in airtight containers in the fridge. You can also freeze this stew for up to three months – I usually cut the chicken off the bone and shred it back into the sauce beforehand.
Reheating instructions: Simmer gently on the stove until the chicken is heated through, adding a little water if needed to loosen the sauce.
Slow Cooker Instructions: Follow steps 1-4 but use minced garlic and ⅓-½ cup / 80ml-120ml of wine or stock. Cook for 3-4 hours on HIGH or 5-6 hours on LOW or until the chicken is 175°F (75°C) when checked with a meat thermometer. If the sauce needs further thickening you can take the lid off and cook for 30 minutes or stir in some cornstarch slurry.

Nutrition