Chicken Cacciatore
Quick answer
- Total time
- 70 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Chicken cacciatore is an Italian countryside dish where chicken pieces are seared hard in olive oil until deeply browned, then braised over low heat for forty minutes with onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, black olives, capers, red wine, and thyme.
Read more
The initial sear in a very hot pan triggers a Maillard reaction on the skin and surface of the meat; those browned flavors dissolve into the braising liquid and dramatically deepen the sauce as it simmers. Red wine is added and simmered for two minutes to cook off the alcohol before the remaining ingredients go in, leaving only the acidity and fruit character of the wine to layer with the tomato. The briny, savory taste of the olives and the tart, floral sharpness of the capers keep the sweetness of the canned tomatoes in check, while thyme runs as a steady, quiet herbal thread throughout. This dish improves substantially when reheated the next day, as the flavors penetrate further into the meat overnight. Leftover braising sauce is excellent tossed with pasta or spooned over soft polenta.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Pat 1kg cut-up chicken thoroughly dry.
If it is very cold, let it stand for about 10 minutes before searing.
- 2Control
Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken skin-side down first and sear for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply browned, then remove it from the pot.
- 3Control
Add 1 sliced onion to the same pot and cook over medium heat for about 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits.
Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute more, stirring so the garlic softens without burning.
- 4Control
Pour in 150 ml red wine and boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom as the wine reduces, and continue until the sharp alcohol smell softens.
- 5Season
Add 400 g canned tomatoes, 80 g black olives, 2 teaspoons capers, and 3 thyme sprigs.
Return the browned chicken to the pot, arranging the pieces so they sit about halfway submerged in the sauce.
- 6Finish
Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes with the lid partly open.
Serve when the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Chicken pieces sear hard first, then braise forty minutes in tomatoes, red wine, olives, and capers until the sauce thickens.
- Finish cue
- Serve when the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Avoid this
- Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute more, stirring so the garlic softens without burning.
- Storage and reheating
- Tastes even better the next day as flavors develop.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
70min, 9 ingredients
Category median
40min, 8 ingredients
Based on 168 recipes
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