One early evening while Ralph was cooking dinner, I found myself flipping through A Little Taste of Italy, longingly wanting to be there.

I came across a recipe for Chicken Cacciatore, and was immediately transported back to the 80s. It felt like such a retro sounding dish!

The combination of ingredients sounded delish and simple to make. Ralph decided to give it a try this past Sunday, buying all the ingredients at our local Saturday farmers market. It did not disappoint! We both wondered why we hadn’t made it sooner.

Interestingly, when I looked up the recipe in our treasured The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, I discovered it’s also known as “Hunter’s Chicken” or Pollo alla cacciatora (cacciatore=hunter; pollo=chicken) and traditionally includes two varieties of mushrooms but skips the pancetta. We adapted the recipe from A Little Taste of Italy to the version below. Since Ralph isn’t a fan of mushrooms, we omitted them.

Chicken Cacciatore makes for an easy weeknight dinner and reheats beautifully as leftovers.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 150g (5 ½ oz) pancetta
• Olive oil (QB)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 4 chicken thighs
• 80ml (1/3 cup) dry white wine (or dry vermouth)
• 2x400g (14oz) tins chopped tomatoes
• Water (if needed)
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper (QB)
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• Fresh parsley to garnish

Optional:

• 125g (4 ½ oz) button mushrooms, thickly sliced

Instructions:

1. Cube the pancetta (small cubes).
2. Heat a large casserole dish on medium-high heat (we used our Le Creuset). Add the pancetta and fry until the fat renders.
3. Remove the pancetta and fry the chicken in batches in the rendered fat. Add olive oil if needed, especially if you are using a leaner bacon instead of pancetta. Remove the browned chicken pieces and set aside.
4. Return the pancetta to the pan and add the onions, celery, and mushrooms (if using). Sauté until the onions are translucent, being careful not to burn them. Add the garlic and sauté briefly until fragrant (avoid browning).
5. Add the wine and cook for a minute or two to burn off the alcohol.
6. Return the chicken pieces to the pan. Add the canned tomatoes, rosemary, and bay leaf. If the mixture looks too dry, add a little water (we used just enough to rinse out the tomato cans). Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
7. If the sauce is too thin, remove the chicken and boil the sauce until it thickens to your liking. Then return the chicken to the pan and heat through.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the Chicken Cacciatore (garnished with fresh parsley) over:

1. A bed of rice
2. Al dente pasta (as pictured)
3. Slices of warmed ciabatta bread to dip in sauce

Tip:

1. Slice the chicken to make it easier to eat from a bowl (as pictured).

Buon appetito!