Pollo alla cacciatora — 'hunter's chicken' — is braised the way a hunter might once have, with what the land gave: onions, herbs, wine. The northern hand uses white wine, the southern red — a single dish that maps the country's divide.
Succulent, herb-scented chicken in a deeply savory tomato-and-wine sauce that clings to every piece. Rustic and homey, it begs to be mopped up with crusty bread.
Browning the chicken builds a fond of caramelized proteins that deglazing with wine lifts into the sauce, while slow braising melts connective tissue for tenderness.
Variations
With bell peppers, with mushrooms, white-wine northern version, with olives and capers
On the Palate
Where Pollo alla Cacciatora sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 13 min
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- 210 min
Brown them well in olive oil in a heavy pan, then set aside.
Watch outBrown the chicken hard and don't crowd the pan — that stuck-on golden fond is the whole flavor of the sauce.
- 35 min
Soften sliced onion and garlic in the same pan.
- 44 min
Pour in wine and let it reduce, scraping up the browned bits.
Watch outPour the wine in and scrape hard — lift every browned bit off the bottom before it can scorch.
- 53 min
Add tomatoes, herbs and return the chicken to the pan.
- 645 min
Cover and braise gently until the chicken is very tender.
Watch outBraise on the gentlest bubble until the meat pulls easily from the bone — a hard boil turns it dry and stringy.
- 75 min
Uncover near the end to let the sauce thicken.
- 82 min
Adjust seasoning and serve hot with bread or polenta.
