Cacciatóre

Cacciatore is an Italian hunter-style casserole. This casserole can be made with chicken, duck or rabbit and cooked in a sauce filled with herbs, vegetables and chicken broth. This casserole takes time to cook, but the resulting flavours are worth the wait. Aromatic herbs and fresh vegetables combined with a well-seasoned chicken create this phenomenal dish. It's the best main dish for an Italian-themed dinner party.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Marination

500g Chicken

3 tbsp Lemon juice

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Rosemary

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Salt

Sauce

2 tbsp Olive oil

1 small chopped Onion

½ chopped Yellow pepper

½ chopped Red pepper

3 chopped Garlic cloves

1 chopped Carrot

1 cup Kalamata Olives

40g Porcini mushrooms

2 ½ cups Porcini mushroom water

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Rosemary

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Basil

Salt to taste

2 cups Chicken Broth

800g Tomatoes

1 cup Tomato puree

Method

Step 1- Marination

Cut clean your chicken and cut it into bite-size pieces. Add lemon juice, thyme, rosemary, basil, pepper, and salt to a bowl. Mix well. Add chicken pieces and coat well. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2

In a bowl, add mushrooms and add 5 cups of boiling water. Let them sit for 20-30 minutes. Then drain the water, reserving half of it. Squeeze the extra water out of the mushrooms and keep it aside.

Step 3

In a pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil, place on medium heat, and once hot, add chicken pieces. Don’t crowd the pan. Cook the chicken for 2-3 minutes on both sides till lightly golden brown on the surface.

Step 4 - Sauce

Then in the same pan, add another tbsp of olive oil and add onions, yellow pepper, red pepper, garlic cloves, carrot, porcini mushrooms and Kalamata olives. Sauté for 5-6 minutes or till the onions are soft.

Step 5

Then add thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil and salt. Mix well. Then add porcini mushroom reserved and stir well. And simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes. Don’t cover the pot.

Step 6

Now add tomatoes, tomato puree, chicken pieces and chicken broth. Give a good stir, and then bring the sauce to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer the cacciatore for 2- 5 hours. Keep stirring the pot from time to time.

Step 7

Once the cacciatore is done, take the pot off the heat and serve hot cacciatore with pasta or rice.

Tips

1. Marinating the chicken will enhance the flavour and makes the chicken; try not to skip this step.

2. The porcini mushrooms need 20-30 minutes to rehydrate, and the reserved water adds a deep earthy flavour to the sauce.

3. Cook the chicken only till it gets golden brown on the surface. Don't cook the chicken through.

4. Cook the cacciatore for a minimum of 2 hours and then as much as you like. The more you cook, the better the flavours turn out.