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Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken cacciatore is a gentle braise in a tomato, mushroom and pepper sauce. Browning the chicken first gives the gravy depth, while wine, olives and herbs bring acidity and savoury complexity. The meat should be tender without falling apart during portioning.

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Cuisine: Italian Prep: 20 Min Cook: 65 Min Total: 85 Min Difficulty: Medium Servings: 4 servings
Chicken Cacciatore
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Follow the measured ingredients, numbered method, substitutions, safety notes and cooking mode below.

About This Recipe

Chicken cacciatore is a gentle braise in a tomato, mushroom and pepper sauce. Browning the chicken first gives the gravy depth, while wine, olives and herbs bring acidity and savoury complexity. The meat should be tender without falling apart during portioning.

Before You Start

1. Read firstRead every step once before switching on the cooker.

2. MeasureWeigh and prepare all ingredients in the order listed.

3. Control heatLow means a gentle bubble, medium cooks steadily, and high is for quick browning.

4. Check donenessUse the texture, timing and safe-temperature checks written in the method.

Equipment

  • ✓ Wide lidded braising pan
  • ✓ Tongs
  • ✓ Food thermometer

Ingredients

Easy Step-by-Step Method

Complete one numbered step before moving to the next. Keep the heat and timing exactly as written.

  1. Brown the chicken: Pat thighs dry, season with salt and pepper and brown in olive oil, skin-side down first, for 5 minutes per side. Lift onto a plate used only for the partly cooked chicken.
  2. Cook vegetables: In the same pan cook onion, mushrooms and pepper for 8 minutes. Add garlic for 30 seconds.
  3. Deglaze: Add wine and scrape up browned bits. Simmer for 3 minutes before adding tomatoes, stock, oregano and bay leaves.
  4. Braise: Return chicken and any plate juices, keeping the skin above the sauce where possible. Partly cover and simmer for 35–45 minutes until the thickest flesh reaches at least 74°C.
  5. Finish: Add olives for the last 5 minutes. If the sauce is thin, lift cooked chicken onto a clean plate and reduce sauce uncovered.
  6. Serve: Remove bay leaves, return chicken to the sauce if needed and scatter parsley over the finished dish.

Chef Notes & Tips

Avoid completely submerging the browned skin. Olives and stock add salt, so taste the sauce before adding more.

Ingredient choices: Bone-in thighs suit the braising method. Quarter mushrooms rather than slicing them too thinly so they retain texture. Olives and stock supply salt; taste the reduced sauce before adding the full final seasoning.

Cooking control: Brown the chicken in batches, soften the vegetables and reduce the wine before adding tomatoes and stock. Maintain a quiet simmer rather than a rolling boil. Check the chicken reaches 74°C, then assess tenderness and sauce concentration separately.

If something goes wrong: If the chicken is ready but the sauce is thin, remove the pieces and reduce the liquid uncovered. If olives dominate, balance with additional unsalted tomato sauce rather than sugar. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Ingredient Substitutions

  • ↔ White wine → extra stock with a small squeeze of lemon at the end
  • ↔ Thighs → drumsticks
  • ↔ Olives → omit

Food Safety & Doneness

Keep raw poultry separate from ready-to-eat food and do not wash it. Check the thickest flesh and any stuffing reach at least 74°C with a food thermometer; colour and timing alone are not reliable.

Serving & Plating

Serve a chicken portion with mushrooms, peppers and sauce together. Plain potatoes, polenta or bread are optional accompaniments rather than ingredients already included in the yield.

Storage

Refrigerate promptly in shallow covered containers at 4°C or below and use within 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed to at least 74°C throughout. Discard food left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C.

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