Italian recipe

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Name: Pollo alla Cacciatora
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: 1.2 kg bone-in skin-on chicken thighs; 25 ml olive oil; 150 g onion, sliced; 100 g carrot, diced; 10 g garlic, minced; 150 ml dry red or white wine; 500 g crushed tomatoes; 120 ml low-salt chicken stock; 2 g fresh rosemary; 80 g pitted black olives; 5 g fine salt, divided; 2 g ground black pepper

Chicken thighs braised with tomato, wine, onion, rosemary and olives until tender, with a reduced savoury sauce rather than a watery stew.

Italy

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 1 hr 15 min
Servings: 4

Chicken cacciatora with tomato sauce, olives and golden chicken thighs — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by Charles HaynesSource page · Original file · CC BY-SA 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

1.2 kg
bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
25 ml
olive oil
150 g
onion, sliced
100 g
carrot, diced
10 g
garlic, minced
150 ml
dry red or white wine
500 g
crushed tomatoes
120 ml
low-salt chicken stock
2 g
fresh rosemary
80 g
pitted black olives
5 g
fine salt, divided
2 g
ground black pepper

Method

01
Season and brown the chicken
Pat chicken dry and season with 3 g salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat and brown chicken skin-side down 6–8 minutes, then 2 minutes on the second side. Transfer to a plate.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Cook the vegetables
Lower heat to medium. Cook onion and carrot 6–8 minutes until softened. Add garlic and rosemary and cook 30 seconds.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Deglaze and add tomato
Add wine and scrape the pan, boiling 3–4 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in tomatoes, stock and remaining 2 g salt.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Braise gently
Return chicken skin-side up, keeping most skin above the sauce. Cover loosely and simmer 25–30 minutes until the thickest thigh reaches at least 74°C and the meat is tender.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Reduce with olives
Remove the lid, add olives and simmer 8–10 minutes until the sauce is thick enough to coat the chicken. Remove rosemary stems, rest 5 minutes and serve.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Brown in batches so the pan stays hot; crowding turns searing into steaming.
Keep the braise at a gentle simmer; hard boiling can toughen meat and muddy the sauce.

Common mistakes

Do not rush the browning stage; pale meat gives a flatter sauce.
Add salt in stages because stock, cured meat and cheese can concentrate as the liquid reduces.

Substitutions

Use an equal amount of unsalted stock when replacing wine, then finish with a small splash of mild vinegar for acidity.
Choose a cut with similar connective tissue and thickness so the braising time stays predictable.

Storage

Divide leftovers into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 0–4°C for up to 3 days. Reheat only the portion needed until piping hot throughout.

Cultural context

“Cacciatora” means hunter-style. Italian versions vary by region, but the idea is rustic braised meat with aromatics, wine and local additions such as tomato or olives.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Chicken cacciatore (13759100) — Photograph by Charles Haynes; CC BY-SA 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Italian recipes

Pollo alla Cacciatora

Ingredients

Method

Season and brown the chicken

Cook the vegetables

Deglaze and add tomato

Braise gently

Reduce with olives

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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