Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora

Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora is a classic Italian dish, which many Italian regions claim the invention: Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio. Who knows?! Let’s keep it national as it is today and we’ll all carry on.

“Cacciatora” means “the way of the hunter”, that is the way hunters would cook in the past the meats of their preys with rosemary and garlic. Originally, the preys were rabbits and game, easy to hunt and to cook in the open air for the hunter’s restore while trying to get bigger preys.

Today, that prey has become chicken, but only chickens raised in the open air would enhance the meat quality.

Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora

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Good to know

Garlic and rosmary are well known for their antibiotic properties. If you use this bulb and this herb in your food, remember that you are not only giving your Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora a supreme flavour but you also are getting some sort of natural protection against bacteria. So, useful and delicious at the same time. Who wants more?

A good way to accompany Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora is polenta or potatos purée, though chips are also a good choice.

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Ingredients 4 servings

1. Chicken tights, skin on, 4

2. Chicken legs, skin on, 4

3. Onion, finely chopped, 1

4. Carrots, finely chopped, 2

5. Garlic, crushed, 2 cloves

6. Celery, finely chopped, 3 leaves

7. Tomatoes, peeled and diced, 500 g

8. Parsley, finely chopped, a small branch

9. Rosemary, 2 sprigs

10. Thyme, leaves, 1 tbsp

11. Nutmeg, grated, half tsp

12. Red wine, 1 glass

13. Salt and pepper, 1 tsp

14. Extra virgin olive oil, half glass

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Let’s jump to the method

Get ready all the ingredients.

1. In a capacious frying pan, heat 1/2 glass extra virgin olive  oil and brown the chicken on its skin, which will give this dish more flavour, for about 8-10 minutes until all sides are golden brown.

2. Now, with a wooden spoon push the meat to the sides of the frying pan and add in the middle the chopped onion, crushed garlic, chopped carrots and the chopped celery. If needed, add a drop of extra virgin olive oil on top. Let them golden fry for at least 5 minutes.

3. Stir all ingredients together, add the sprigs of rosemary and 1 glass of red wine. Let it evaporate.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes.

5. Stir all ingredients, low down the heat to gentle simmer, then cover with a lead. You can add at this point 1 tbsp of thyme leaves and the grated nutmeg.

6. Cover with a lead and cook for 30 minutes at low temperature, marking 4.

7. Check from time to time if some water is needed, don’t let it dry out!

8. Once ready, sparkle some chopped parsley on top.

9. Serve and enjoy your Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora!

Chicken Stew or Pollo alla Cacciatora