Italian “Hunter’s Stew” or Pollo Cacciatore is a hearty, rustic stew cooked with chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce rich in wine and spices. Simple, cozy, delicious homemade comfort meal!
I like chicken stews because they have all the stewy flavor of beef stew in less an hour. Chicken, thank you, cooks quickly and doesn’t need to break apart to be juicy!
Today’s stew is Chicken Cacciatore. “Cacciatore” means “hunter” in Italian and refers to a stewy dinner composed with tomatoes, onion, herbs, and red wine that braises chicken or rabbit, although I’ve seen lamb and vegetarian variations.
Cacciatore has no guidelines or one method to cook it, therefore there are many regional versions and family recipes throughout Italy and the globe.
My version, which is regarded traditional outside of Italy (certainly in Australia), uses chicken, onions, mushrooms, and capsicum.
Red wine, rosemary, bay leaves, dried oregano, chicken, veggies, and whole olives (don’t omit this!) flavor the tomato-based stew sauce. It simmers for 30 minutes, long enough to blend the flavors and cook the chicken to juicy perfection, but quicker than a slow-cooked beef stew!
The best chicken for cacciatore
We need a chicken cut that can withstand 30 minutes of simmering to flavor and thicken the sauce. Answer: thigh and drumstick bone! Bonus: Juicier, tastier, and cheaper than boneless chicken breast. 🙂
Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients
I like a combination of thighs and drumsticks, but you may use either. You may put as many as you can in the pan, but they will shrink as they cook (I use 4 of each, 1.6kg / 3lb). This will serve 4 hungry people (one thigh and one drumstick apiece) or 6 smaller portions.
Other good cuts: Chicken Maryland quarters! Would use 4.
Boneless thighs or breast — If you prefer or only have boneless thighs or breast, I’ve included instructions in the recipe notes (simply put them back into the sauce at the end to avoid overcooking).
VEG AND HERB
Bugger! I overlooked dry oregano in the shot. 🙂
Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients
Regular white/button mushrooms work for me. Other varieties are ok.
Capsicum (bell peppers) gave the sauce a unique “cacciatore” flavor that I enjoy. I usually use capsicum!
Fennel, a common Italian veggie, is my brother’s favorite. He said, “capsicum is soooo pedestrian, fennel makes it more interesting!” The whole RecipeTin family has strong food opinions! 😂 Fennel and capsicum make this meal great. You decide! There’s no proper response.
Fresh bay leaves—I have a plant that grows well in pots and is hard to destroy. However, drying works too.
Dried rosemary doesn’t “perfume” the sauce as fresh rosemary does. If possible, use fresh rosemary, although dried rosemary will work too.
We forgot to photograph dried oregano! I like dried since it has an earthier flavor that suits this recipe.
Onion and garlic—the sauce’s foundation!
Ingredients for cacciatore sauce
Anchovies are the “secret ingredient” that provide depth and flavor to this tomato-based sauce without making it fishy. It’s unlikely even a sophisticated palate would notice. If you hate anchovies, use fish sauce or plain salt!
In Chicken Cacciatore, use jarred or canned anchovies in oil. Anchovies are salty and gray. Avoid costly white anchovies in vinegary oil. These are meant to be eaten, not cooked! I used charcuterie boards.
Using red wine to flavor the sauce won’t make it taste winey when cooked. This pinot noir is always on hand since I cook with it. You may use any dry red wine or white wine. Expensive wine is wasted here! The liquor shop bargain bins provide sharply discounted bottles.
Reducing the wine and simmering the sauce for 30 minutes cooks off most of the alcohol. If you want alcohol-free, add more chicken stock.
Use whole, pitted kalamata olives. Don’t miss the olive brine—it adds flavor and salt to the sauce! I like the taste and texture of Kalamata olives to stiffer, bland “black olives.”
Please low-sodium chicken broth. Adding salt is controlled this way. I often fear that full-salt chicken stock makes sauces overly salty and irreversible.
Tomato paste, canned tomato. The tomato paste thickens the sauce without flour and adds tomato flavor.
Making Chicken Cacciatore
Brown chicken skin, sauté veggies, simmer 30 minutes. Easy!
To prepare Chicken Cacciatore, season the chicken on a tray with salt and pepper on both sides.
For browning, use a big pan with a cover (e.g., Pyrolux 30cm/12″ wide, available exclusively in Australia). First sear the thighs’ skin for 6 minutes, then the meat for 1 minute. Put it back on the same tray and brown the drumsticks as best you can (the shape prevents even browning).
Recipe for Chicken Cacciatore: Sauté and Anchovies Dissolve. Sauté the onion with rosemary and bay leaves until tender. Then make room in the pan and sauté the garlic and anchovies together, mashing them up (no need to chop, just add them whole). Mix garlic and anchovies with onion.
Capsicum and mushrooms should be cooked for 5 minutes to soften. The mushrooms will get wet and evaporate, softening them.
Making Chicken Cacciatore
Tomato paste cookoff Add tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Do not omit this step—it will reduce the sourness and enhance the flavor.
Sauce: Add wine and reduce by 3/4 to remove the winey flavor and leave just the wonderful wine flavor. Then add canned tomato, chicken stock/broth, dry oregano, salt, and pepper.
To prepare Chicken Cacciatore, carefully lay chicken pieces, skin-side up, in the simmering sauce. Simmer on medium for 20 minutes with the lid on. The liquid should boil slowly, not quickly (it will spill).
Remove lid and add olives to thicken sauce. Let simmer for 10 more minutes without the cover. Olives will soften and blend into the sauce, which will decrease and thicken.
All done! Ready to serve!
Cacciatore chicken
Serve over mashed potato or polenta for an Italian theme. If you don’t have time to prepare “real” polenta (which takes 40 minutes), purchase “instant” or “quick” polenta, which cooks in 5 to 10 minutes.
It’s also great over simple rice or in a dish with crusty bread for mopping. For an easy midweek supper, serve it with a leafy green salad dressed with my Everyday Salad Dressing (or Italian Dressing). Serve this with a Mega Italian Salad, garlic bread, and a warm Cinnamon Rice Pudding or Baked Stuffed Apples for dessert on a Sunday Supper with family and friends.
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