Originally a hunter’s stew, chicken cacciatore is a dish that can be prepared with minimal fuss. Some say that the really traditional cacciatore does not include tomatoes, uses dark meat only and the cooked dish is brown with a thick gravy-like sauce. This version is adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurentiis (saw her on TV over the weekend), uses white wine instead of red and includes a can of chopped tomatoes.
It was quite a challenge photographing this dish. Seemed to me that no matter from which angle I took photos, it just looked like an indecipherable mush. It’s one of those dishes where the appearance cannot even hope to approximate the wonderful flavors and textures. Chicken cacciatore is one of the satisfying stews I have ever cooked. Homey, simple to prepare, and it makes you just want to mop up every drop of the sauce. The Italians do that with bread; this is Asia so we enjoyed our chicken cacciatore last night with rice.
Ingredients
- 1 k. of chicken (I used a whole chicken, minus the breast), cut up
1/2 c. of flour
1/4 c. of olive oil (does not have to be extra virgin)
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 c. of chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned, but please don’t use tomato sauce)
3 to 4 sprigs of oregano, leaves stripped and stalks discarded
1-1/2 c. of white wine
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps. of capers
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large wide pan.
Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off the excess. Brown in the hot oil, turning to brown all sides evenly. You are NOT cooking it through at this point but merely browning the chicken to form a crust that, later, will really add so much texture to the cooked dish. Remove the chicken from the pan.
To the remaining oil and drippings, add the chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about a minute or until the onion pieces start to soften and turn translucent. Add the tomatoes, bell pepper and white wine. Boil gently for about two minutes. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer. Sprinkle the oregano leaves over them. Add the bay leaf. Cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for about an hour. I do not recommend stirring.
When the sauce is thick, add the capers. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens some more and the mixture appears almost dry. Towards the end of cooking, add more salt and pepper, if needed. But if you seasoned your chicken well, there should be no need for additional salt and pepper as the white wine provides all the flavors the chicken needs.
Chicken cacciatore goes well with crusty bread, rice or pasta.
If you’re wondering what wine is best for cooking chicken cacciatore, I suggest fruity semi-sweet wines which will offset the sour notes of the tomatoes wonderfully.
Cooking time (duration): 1 hour and 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4
oh my, miss sassy! this is my favorite dish.
hi i can’t wait to try this recipe,it looks delicious,i dont have fresh oregano,ican substute it with dried oregano wat is d meaurement if i used dried oregano? tnx and more powe to you….
Around 1/2 tsp. will do, I think.
Hi, Ms. Connie!!
Will try this tonight… luckily I have all the ingredients at home…(scrap the caldereta I’m supposed to cook this evening… LOL)
Karen, I think that makes two of us hehehe
Cris, this is similar to caldereta but lighter and more refreshing. Caldereta can be a bit heavy with all the spices and the mashed liver. So, I think you’re making the right choice kasi mainit ang panahon.
Try JM Fonseca Twin Vines. It”?s a white wine with a crisp, refreshing flavor. It goes down light, which should go well with chicken and pasta.
http://tinyurl.com/meko65
thank you! will look for that one.
hi, is there a specific brand of white wine you can recommend for this dish? i’m not very knowledgeable about wines.
[i'm a novice cook, just starting to feel my way around the kitchen, and your recipes have been very helpful].
thank you.
Is it okey not to use white wine?
No. It’s the wine that gives cacciatore its rich and distinct flavor.
can you give the specific brand of white wine you used? no idea about wines…tnx!
I’ve thrown away the bottle already. But for cooking, I buy wines that cost less than 200 pesos.
i just want to thank you for this easy recipes
you have posted here…me and my daughter
prepare this dish for dinner last night…
and it was a hit….muchus gracias.!!!!!!
is it safe for my 2 year old to eat this dish since it has wine on it??
You’ll have to ask your child’s pedia about that.
i tried this last night and it was a very delicious dish………..i will surely make this again!!!!!!!!!!thank you for sharing…
It’s simmering on the stove right now and it looks good. I know this will be yummy. Thanks for this blog. You’ve inpired me a lot Connie.
Hello Ms. Connie,
Would rice wine work alright with this? I’m not too sure if it can be really classified as “white” wine…
Thanks.
Ahh… I don’t really know. Drinking wine seems to work best with stews.
Hi Ms. Connie,
Do I have to drain the canned diced tomatoes?
Oh, no! You want all the juices.
I cooked it last saturday but the sauce is much thicker than the one on the pic, so i taught i have to drain the sauce..thanks ms. connie..it taste good..I put the chicken on top of cooked pasta.
Miss Connie,
Just a quick question on this chicken cacciatori.You mention about salt and pepper.What kind of pepper you used and how much pepper.I love to cook this tonight for our dinner.
Thank you.
I use freshly ground black pepper (coarse grind with a pepper mill). How much is relative — I always say, “To taste.”
hi connie!
i admire you a lot and i love all your recipes! they are really great for a new wife and mom like me. my mom never had a chance to teach me how to cook so i can’t tell you how grateful i am to find your website. i can’t wait till my baby is old enough to eat real food and requests that i cook something for him, just like your girls do. i’d love to cook this dish. i read another recipe like this that mentioned substituting beer for white wine, have you ever used beer in cooking? do you think that’s ok? and could i also substitute olives for capers?
…please don’t get tired of what you do, you inspire a lot of people.
Hi Rina, I’ve cooked with beer but not as a substitute for wine. I’ll post some recipes with beer once of these days.
Re olives for capers. Well, capers are more sour so the result will be a bit different. But I think olives will work.
what is capers?
Search and you shall find.
i only have dry white wine..is it okay if i use it instead of fruity semisweet which you suggested…thanks…
Yes, semi-sweet is simply a personal preference.
Can i substitute red wine?
Why not try and let us know how it turns out?
I want to serve it with pasta. How do you suggest to cook pasta?
Check the package directions. And remember not to overcook.
i cooked it for lunch today, used red wine and black olives…it was delicious, really easy to prepare but very flavorful. i’m proud of myself coz it the appearance came out exactly as you photographed it!
there’s still leftover which i plan to serve with pasta. how would you suggest to cook pasta? just boil it without any seasoning?
thanks connie! your recipes always come out delicious!
Toss the pasta with a little pesto then top with the chicken cacciatore… Ay, heaven…