Pollo alla cacciatora (Hunter’s Chicken Stew)

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Pollo alla cacciatora, is an Italian dish, which translates and hunter’s chicken.  

I don’t know if game, such as rabbit was originally involved and later on chicken was used to deserve its original name or if whether it is just hunter’s style chicken, the way the hunter cooked his chicken or whether when the hunter came back home from hunting, his wife had cooked a chicken stew dish for him.

When google searching for recipes I read all the above scenarios and there were various versions of this recipe, some using olives, others bacon, others beans, others shrimps, others white wine, others red wine, with tomato and without tomato.

Some of them reminded me of Coq au Vin, others a Chicken Bourguignon or Greek Kotopoulo Kokkinisto (stew) or Kotopoulo Krassato (chicken with wine).  

As each one was different and did not know which one would be quite traditional, so I decided to make it my way, using the ingredients I preferred.

I made this recipe a few weeks ago in Assini using free range chicken.  You can see in the picture above that the meat was darker and it took more time to cook.

I made it over and over again, either making it with mashed potatoes or tubular pasta, which is quite traditional to be served with Greek stews.

If you have never made this dish, you should try it as the recipe is very easy to prepare and the dish is delicious with a very flavourful sauce.

Ingredients needed to make Pollo alla cacciatora

• 1 chicken, skin and bones on
• All purpose flour
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Onions
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Celery
• Red dry wine
• Tomato juice
• Tomato paste
• Water
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• Thyme
• Greek spice mixture (optional)
• Fresh rosemary
• Bay leaves
• Parsley

How to make the chicken cacciatora:

1. Clean, wash and cut the chicken into pieces, leaving the skin on, which gives flavour to the dish.
2. Drain chicken and then dredge in flour.
3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and sauté just until browned, about 5 minutes per side.  Sauté in 2 – 3 batches.
4. Transfer the chicken to a pot and set aside.
5. Add the onion to the skillet and sauté for 1 – 2 minutes and then add the garlic and sauté until both are translucent, about total 5 minutes.   
6. Add the carrots, celery, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, pepper and spices and mixed for 1 – 2 minutes.
7. Pour the mixture over the chicken and add the wine.  Cook for a few minutes until the alcohol evaporates.
8. Add tomato juice and tomato paste dissolved in 1 cup of water.
9. Bring the sauce to a boil and lower heat.  Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken is cooked through, for about 1 hour, depending on the chicken.  (Free range chickens need more time to cook).
10. Remove the chicken to the platter again and if carrot and celery are not soft, continue simmering until soft (you may need to add some more water, about ½ cup) and the sauce thickens.
11. Put the chicken back in the pot, add the parsley and simmer for about 3 more minutes.
12. Serve with rice pilaf, mashed potatoes or pasta.

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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