Pollo alla cacciatora is a great Italian classic made with braised chicken, celery, carrots, onions and tomato. In my version, you’ll find some salty capers, peppers, green olives and thyme, which make the sauce irresistible delicious. Perfect for a happy Sunday lunch.
Ahh, Italian food. Who doesn’t love it? The Italian cuisine is simple and packed with aromas. The best tasting meals are the simple ones. All you need is a couple of basic ingredients and some love. Just like our grandmothers used to cook. I still remember how my grandmother turned some normal potatoes into the best braised potatoes ever. Yeah, that’s love. Or magic? Wink.
Pollo alla cacciatora or a “hunter-style” chicken is a classic Italian dish full of rich and strong flavours which give you pleasure. It is easy to make, delicious and flavourful and it is prepared with white meat. You can either pick chicken (whole, cut in pieces or just the parts you like) or rabbit.
Also, the chicken can be deglazed with wine (red or white), water or broth. In some recipes, the white wine is mixed with white vinegar. You can’t go wrong. The important thing is, it tastes delicious. If you like a slightly sweet and sour taste, you should definitely try it.
Cacciatora sauce with tomatoes or “in bianco”
Besides the most tender chicken ever, the other delicacy is this irresistible sauce. By combining some basic ingredients, such as onion, celery, carrot and tomato, you’ll get an amazing sauce. You can make it without tomatoes, too. In that case, it is called “in bianco”. Either way, its strong flavours and smells bring you to the warmth and familiarity of home. It reminds me of a good old Sunday lunch with the whole family.
Still, the recipe of pollo alla cacciatora differs from region to region, from family to family. And this is how I made it. I followed all of the steps of the original recipe. Besides braising the chicken with the basic vegetables and red wine, I also added garlic, capers, peppers, leek, some green olives and thyme. Just to give a personal touch and to make the dish richer.
Additionally, you can add aubergines, peppers or even mushrooms, too. Either way, there is only one thing that’s important. The magic keyword is “flavour”! That’s what cacciatora is. Flavour.
For more flavourful and simple dishes check these out: parmigiana di melazane, a classic Sicilian caponata, the easiest pasta ever cacio e pepe, another classic spaghetti alla carbonara. All delicious and made with basic ingredients.
Ingredients for 2-3 portions of pollo alla cacciatora:
- 6 chicken drumsticks (skin on or skin off)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (sliced)
- 1 celery stalk (chopped)
- half a leek (chopped)
- 1 carrot (diced)
- 2 tsp of capers
- 1 red pepper (diced)
- 150 ml red wine
- 400 ml pelati tomatoes (canned peeled tomatoes)
- thyme (fresh or dried)
- salt and pepper
- 15-20 green olives (pitted)
To begin, peel and chop the onion and thinly slice the garlic. Wash all of the remaining vegetables. Dice the carrot and the red pepper, chop the leek and the celery stalk. Also, rinse the chicken drumsticks and pat them dry with paper towels. You can remove the skin or keep it on the chicken drumsticks.
Then, drizzle some olive oil in a larger pot and add the chicken. Brown it on all sides. At this point, stir in the onion, celery, leek, capers, garlic, red pepper and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and saute for a couple of minutes. Deglaze with some red wine and add the tomatoes. Gently, using a wooden spoon, smash them. Furthermore, add a splash of water, thyme, cover with a lid and cook on low-medium heat for 30-40 minutes.
Ten minutes before the dish is cooked, add the green olives. Finally, serve the pollo alla cacciatora when still bubbly and warm. Serve with some bread to mop up the last drop of this delicious sauce.
Enjoy.
