Chicken Cacciatore

- Serves 4-5

Step into the heart of Italian home cooking with this comforting Chicken Cacciatore recipe. Simmered in a rich tomato-based sauce with fresh herbs, tender chicken, and flavorful vegetables, this dish is a perfect combination of simplicity and taste. Ideal for a cozy family meal or a dinner party centerpiece, this recipe brings authentic Italian flavors right to your kitchen. Serve it with pasta, polenta, or crusty bread for a wholesome and satisfying meal everyone will love.

Watch our short Cacciatore video on Instagram

Ingredients

CHICKEN
4 large bone-in chicken thighs and legs (about 1.2kg)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

CACCIATORE
1 brown onion, halved – thinly sliced
2 rosemary sprigs
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh else dried
1 teaspoon dried oregano pods
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 anchovy fillets
250g button mushrooms, sliced
2 small red bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup dry red wine
240ml chicken stock/broth, low sodium
400g Alce Nero chunky tomato puree
16 whole kalamata olives, pitted, drained
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Parsley, for garnish
Herb Salsa, for topping
Sourdough, for serving

Herb Salsa (makes 1 cup)
1 cup (30g) fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped – optional
2 garlic cloves, minced
125g bottle capers, drained and roughly chopped
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1-2 small red chili padi, deseeded and finely chopped, for mild heat

Recipe

Season Chicken – Spread the chicken out on a tray. Sprinkle both sides with the salt and pepper.
Sear Chicken – Heat a tablespoon olive oil over high heat in a large, deep, heavy based pan, preferably one with a lid. Sear the chicken in the pan (in batches), skin side down, and cook until the skin is golden brown, around 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook the flesh side for another 2 minutes, then remove the chicken onto a tray.
Onion – Turn the heat down to medium. Add some more olive oil, if needed. Add the onion, rosemary leaves, bay leaves and dried oregano. Cook for a few minutes until onion starts to soften.
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 together with the onion.
Vegetables – Turn the heat back up to high. Add the mushroom and bell peppers. Stir until softened – about 5 minutes.
Tomato paste – Create an empty space in the centre of the pan. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes to mellow down its sourness – do not shortcut this step.
Sauce – Add the wine. Stir, bring to simmer then allow to bubble and reduce by around 75%. Add the stock, chunky tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to the boil.
Simmer – 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 vigorously for 20 minutes. Remove lid, add olives, simmer for a further 10 minutes (no lid) or until sauce thickens. Adjust salt.
Serve – Serve the chicken with plenty of sauce with sourdough or mashed potato or polenta, sprinkled with chopped parsley and herb salsa (recipe below).