Pollo all Cacciatora, or Hunter’s Wife’s Chicken, is a northern Italian braise of chicken and vegetables in a tomato sauce with pops of olives and capers. This dish is perfect for a family or small holiday gathering. I bought a whole chicken and for the first time in my life I butchered it into the various chicken parts: breasts, legs/thighs, and wings. It was much easier than I had thought it would be and much more economical than buying all the parts separately.

The smells in the house were heavenly, if you think heaven smells like “mama’s kitchen” with onions and garlic simmering in olive oil. I sure hope so! This was such a beautiful dish to make from start to finish. I loved all the colors of the rainbow in there and the flavors in the finished product were just as nice. I should have browned the chicken pieces a little longer at first but that was my only issue.

The chicken was tender, juicy, perfectly cooked through. The carrots and olives gave a nice soft crunchy texture and the sweet tomatoes and onions and peppers added a delightful contrast to the salty capers and herbs. This would be a wonderful holiday dinner! I hope you’ll give it a try.

Hunter’s Wife’s Chicken – Pollo alla Cacciatora

Recipe from: Essentials of Italian Cooking, Marcella Hazan, Knopf, 1992

Serves: 6-8

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup canola oil
• 1 (3–4-lb.) chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1 tsp. minced rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1⁄4″ pieces
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2⁄3 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1⁄2 cup Gaeta olives, pitted and lightly smashed
• 1⁄4 cup capers, drained
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Working in batches, cook chicken until browned, 10–12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside.

2. Add rosemary, garlic, bay leaf, carrot, bell pepper, onion, and celery to pan; cook until golden, 6–8 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring and scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.

3. Return chicken to pan and add tomatoes, olives and capers; bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and stir in parsley. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a serving platter; spoon sauce over the top.