Chicken Cacciatore

Name: Chicken Cacciatore
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 8 (about 2½ lb) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 1.1 kg; 12 g (2 tsp) fine sea salt, divided; freshly ground black pepper; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, sliced; 2 bell peppers, red and yellow, in strips; 3 cloves garlic, sliced; 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped; ½ tsp chili flakes; 125 ml (½ cup) dry white or red wine; 1 can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, 400 g, crushed by hand; 80 g (½ cup) black olives, pitted; 1 tbsp capers, rinsed, optional; 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Hunter's-style chicken braised with tomato, peppers, olives and rosemary

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 1 h 20 min
Level: Easy

Cacciatore means "hunter's style", and there are as many versions as Italian regions. This one, closest to central Italy, braises browned chicken thighs with peppers, onion, tomatoes, rosemary and a splash of wine until the sauce is thick and the meat falls from the bone. It's one-pot and asks little of you once it's simmering.

Ingredients

8bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2½ lb)about 1.1 kg
12 gfine sea salt (2 tsp)divided
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbspolive oil
1onionsliced
2bell peppersred and yellow, in strips
3 clovesgarlicsliced
2 sprigsrosemaryleaves chopped
½ tspchili flakes
125 mldry white or red wine (½ cup)
1 canwhole peeled tomatoes (14 oz)400 g, crushed by hand
80 gblack olives (½ cup)pitted
1 tbspcapersrinsed, optional
2 tbspchopped parsley

Diet: Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Allergens: sulphites
Origin: Italy
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Season the chicken with 8 g salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide casserole or deep frying pan over medium-high heat.
Brown the thighs, skin side down, until deep golden, 7–8 minutes, then turn and brown 2 minutes. Set aside. Pour off all but 2 tbsp fat. 10 min
Lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion and peppers until soft and lightly golden, 8–10 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and chili and cook 1 minute. 10 min
Pour in the wine and boil, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced by half, 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and remaining 4 g salt. 2 min
Nestle the chicken back in, skin side up, keeping the skin above the sauce. Simmer gently, partly covered, until the meat is tender and pulling from the bone and the sauce is thick, 35–40 minutes. The thighs should read at least 74°C (165°F); 85°C (185°F) gives the most tender result. 38 min
Stir the olives and capers into the sauce around the chicken and simmer 5 minutes, uncovered. Taste for salt, scatter with parsley and serve with polenta, crusty bread or pasta. 5 min

Why it works

Keeping the browned skin above the liquid lets it stay partly crisp while the meat below braises. Reducing the wine first concentrates its acidity and fruit so it seasons rather than dilutes the sauce. Bone-in thighs release gelatin as they simmer, thickening the sauce and keeping the meat moist.

Common mistakes

Drowning the chicken in sauce so the skin turns flabby.
Under-browning. The color on the skin and in the pan is the flavor base.
Adding olives too early, which makes the sauce taste bitter and salty.

Variations

With mushrooms: Add 250 g sliced mushrooms with the peppers.
Southern style: Use white wine, swap rosemary for oregano and add a handful of cherry tomatoes at the end.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 3 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months. Reheat gently.

Notes

For an alcohol-free version, use 125 ml chicken stock plus 1 tbsp lemon juice (then drop sulphites; stock adds celery).