You know chicken cacciatore–chicken made with vegetables, herbs, and tons of tomatoes–right? Well, this is Roman-style chicken cacciatore, with not a tomato in sight. Rather, the bird (commonly guinea hen) is simmered with garlic, rosemary, white wine, and a wee bit of anchovies for umami. Still want a tomato-based dish? Here you go.
You thought you knew chicken cacciatore. An Italian classic, right? With chicken and tomatoes, right?–Renee Schettler
What Does The Name Cacciatore Mean, Anyways?!
Where does the naming convention cacciatore, which in Italy is more traditionally referred to as “alla cacciatora,” come from? The authors explain that “cacciatora” means ‘hunter’s wife,’ and in times past she would have had to rustle up a bubbling hot-pot from anything her hunter hubby dragged home from a hunt. Over the years it became an expression for a stew of mixed meats, usually cooked with tomatoes, wine, and herbs. This dish probably dates all the way back to ancient Rome when tomatoes had not been brought ashore from South America and often foods were flavored with herbs, vinegar and a dash of garum, the pungent anchovy sauce. The hunter’s catch could be rabbit, chicken, lamb, guinea fowl (which is our favorite as it has so much flavor) or even a meaty fish such as swordfish or monkfish.” There you have it. Perfect chit-chat for your next dinner party where this impressive yet easy recipe is the centerpiece.
☞ Contents
Roman-Style Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds chicken or guinea hen cut into 8 pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons rendered pork fat* or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves unpeeled and lightly crushed
- Two (6-inch) sprigs rosemary
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 1/2 ounces white wine
- 4 canned anchovy fillets (if salted rinse well, if in oil don’t rinse)
Directions
- Season the chicken pieces generously all over with salt and pepper. Heat the pork fat or oil in the biggest lidded frying pan you have (or use 2 if you can’t fit all the chicken comfortably into 1 pan) and add the garlic and rosemary.
- Fry for 2 to 3 minutes over a medium heat until you can smell the herbs strongly; this will flavor the oil. Remove the herbs from the pan before they have a chance to burn and set aside for later. Fry the chicken pieces on all sides for about 10 minutes, browning all over, until they are a rich golden color. Be patient and don’t turn them too often; let them brown on one side and then turn to the other.
- Pour in the vinegar and wine and bring to the boil. Allow the liquid to reduce for a few minutes, then add the anchovies and the reserved herbs and stir them into the liquid. Put the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 1 hour or until the meat falls easily from the bone. This will depend on your type of meat so allow enough time for it to get really soft. Check the pan every so often and add a little hot water if it looks dry. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and serve on soft polenta or with a side of simply blanched spinach.
Notes
Show Nutrition
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Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This version of cacciatore has really won me over. Growing up, we spent many an “out to dinner holiday” (i.e. mother’s Day) in one of the classic Occidental restaurants, whether The Union Hotel or Negri’s. Everyone always had minestrone, followed by cacciatore, usually with onions, mushrooms, or other vegetables. What I loved about this version was the more austere treatment. I did add a bit of water both times, and in fact the second version, I still used the full amount of wine and vinegar, though I scaled down everything else, and had to watch that the liquid did not get too low, especially since it made such a perfect pasta sauce. I tried this with guinea legs and thighs and again with just the bone-in thighs, and I think it is easier to manipulate the smaller pieces in the pan for the browning, which you want to be very thorough with since this is the only time it will be able to pick up color. I also made sure that when finished browning, the skin side was up on the pieces so they would retain as much crispness as possible. Use your best anchovies (open that jar of Ortiz with the little tiny fork) and really nice vinegar and wine. Next time I will also be making a nice batch of polenta to go along. I made this first in a heavy, enameled cast iron dutch oven, and the smaller batch in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan that had higher sides than my frying pan, which was too large, I wanted the meat to be a bit more snug. Now I have to make it all over again soon.
This was simple to make, had great flavor, and yielded tender, juicy chicken. Alongside sautéed spinach, and roasted potatoes, it was a perfect Sunday supper.
Delicious chicken and gorgeous pan juices without much fuss. This recipe produced a scrumptious, easy weekend dinner for us. I decided to use chicken drumsticks to make it even simpler to prepare and more economical. It took all of 45 minutes for the chicken to become fall-off-the-bone tender, and the pan juices tasted bright with the vinegar without being sharp. The aroma of rosemary was lovely. I served the chicken with sautéed green beans, and the sauce and garlic were enjoyed with warm ciabatta bread. I shared this dish with the same taster who also had Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic. We loved both equally! Pinot grigio was the wine of my choice. Unoaked chardonnay would be nice, too. I didn’t have plain pork fat, so I used olive oil.
We really enjoyed this Roman version of Chicken alla Cacciatora. The flavor of the rosemary, garlic, and vinegar came through perfectly. Searing the chicken for 10 minutes gave it a lovely golden color and imparted great flavor. We used a white Bordeaux wine. I served the chicken with sautéed zucchini and roasted red potatoes.
Originally published March 02, 2018
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
I worked an Italian place for years, in northern Minnesota. They did this. The only version I have ever tried. They do it a little different (not much but a little). This version of the dish also known as hunters chicken in Italian was often served with another rich dish. Carbonara……. They’re awesome together!
I will be trying this recipe to see how close they are to one another. Love chicken cacciatore with carbonara…… Thousands of calories in this one but soooo nummy!
Thanks, Sheryl! Do let us know how it turns out for you.
Can I use 4 cloves of garlic ?
Marie, as a garlic monster, I say, yes, you can.
I made it, and it was delicious even with my extra garlic. Next time I will add mushrooms. thank u.
You’re more than welcome, Marie!
Thank u. Hoping it comes out good tonight. We’ll taste it.
Do let me know, Marie.
I had a similar dish while in Rome and it changed my life. I have been searching for a recipe ever since. This is very close although the one in Rome had an assortment of olives (I think similar to an Umbrian cacciatore). Definitely a fantastic dish and real proof of Rome’s ancient secret weapon, the anchovy. Cheers!
Food memories are the best, Vincent. So happy that this recipe reminded you of your time in Roma.
Sounds delicious and I’m going to make it but could you substitute lard for the pork fat?
Thanks for all the great work you do
Absolutely, Mary. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who recalls the bucket of lard her grandmother kept in the kitchen and used for absolutely everything…?
All I can say is WOW. Made Roman-Style Chicken Cacciatore tonight. Sorry, no picture – there is nothing left! Made it with chicken pieces. Some spaghetti, broccoli and spinach.
Of course, the usual discussion at and after dinner besides being a lot of ” mmmm’s” and “wow this is great” we were also thinking of all the things we could do with this. From the description I was worried there wouldn’t be a lot of sauce, but there was lots. It was suggested that if it was too dry to add water – I wouldn’t have done that (if needed) I would have used chicken stock.
Anyway, we decided that we would love to grill a little broccoli, then add to the chicken etc. for a few mins. to get that flavour into it.
My daughter would like to make just the sauce and put it on pasta even without the chicken. It was so flavourful. Of course we used rosemary straight from the garden so it had lots of flavour.
Another thing – THANK YOU for stating 2 6″ sprigs of rosemary! Usually the amount is so vague—–
We just happened to have a little parmigiano reggiano grated in the fridge. Perfect, soaked up the sauce on the pasta.
THANK YOU for another great recipe!
You are so very welcome, Pam! Our pleasure! Thank YOU for taking the time to write us such a kind note! Love that you chose to serve this over pasta. Excellent decision!