Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
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- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 1/2 pounds whole chicken – cut into 8 pieces
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
- 1 cup yellow onion – finely chopped (~1 medium yellow onion)
- 1/2 cup carrot – finely chopped (~1 medium carrot)
- 1/2 cup celery – finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes – crushed by hand
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp capers – rinsed
- flat-leaf parsley – chopped (for serving)
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
2. Pat the chicken dry, season all over with the kosher salt and black pepper, and add to the pot skin side down; brown until deeply golden on both sides, 8–10 minutes per side. Transfer the pieces to a plate and pour off all but about 1 tbsp fat from the pot.
3. Reduce heat to medium; add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until softened and lightly golden, 6–8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Increase heat to medium-high, pour in the dry white wine, and simmer, scraping up browned bits, until reduced by about half, 2–3 minutes.
5. Add the canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushing them by hand as they go in, along with the bay leaves and fresh rosemary. Return the pieces and any accumulated juices to the pot, bring to a lively simmer, then cover and cook until nearly tender, 25–30 minutes, maintaining a gentle simmer.
6. Uncover, stir in the capers, and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the thigh meat is fork-tender and pulls from the bone, 10–15 minutes more.
7. Discard the herbs, let rest 5 minutes, then sprinkle with parsley and serve warm.
Chicken cacciatore is a comforting Italian braise of bone-in chicken simmered in a savory tomato sauce scented with wine and herbs. The sauce balances sweetness from slowly cooked onion, carrot, and celery with the brightness of tomatoes and a gentle, resinous note from rosemary and bay. Briny capers add a final lift, and the silky sauce clings to the tender meat, making it ideal with polenta, potatoes, or crusty bread.
Rooted in farmhouse cooking, pollo alla cacciatora (“hunter-style chicken”) is associated with central Italy, especially Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio. Earlier country versions were often cooked in bianco (without tomato), while modern trattoria renditions commonly include tomatoes introduced to Italian cooking in later centuries. Regional variations persist—some prefer white wine and herbs, others a red-wine braise—while Italian-American adaptations added mushrooms and peppers; the heart of the dish remains a rustic, aromatic chicken stew built on slow browning and a simple braise.