We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Food

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is Chicken Cacciatore?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 58,640
Share

Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian dish, also referred to as hunter’s stew. Early recipes may have been made with rabbit or chicken, and each recipe was adapted for those who might be traveling or hunting for several days and would require an easy to prepare recipe for outside cooking.

The traditional version of this dish is a combination of chicken, mushrooms and spices. The most common spices used are thyme, parsley, and oregano, as well as salt and pepper. The dish also receives flavor from the addition of garlic and onions.

As the chicken stews the result is a brown gravy. Many mistakenly think they are preparing chicken cacciatore by adding tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. These do not make up part of the original version, and result more in a meat sauce with chicken that might be a topping for pasta.

Chicken cacciatore in its most conventional form, uses the dark meat of the chicken, which is fattier and will yield a more luscious sauce. The meat would have been cooked until it was literally falling of the bone. Most modern chefs find that cooking the chicken for less time generally makes it easier to eat. Cooking the chicken for too long tends to result in creating a pile of little pieces of chicken, and the cook must fish out the bones, particularly the splinter bone of the legs as these are a choking hazard.

Chicken cacciatore lends itself particularly well to being prepared in a crock-pot or slow cooker. The only preparation, besides slicing the mushrooms, onions, garlic and parsley, is that one must flour the chicken and fry it for two to three minutes on each side, before adding it to the pot. If possible, the mushrooms should not be added until the last half hour, since overcooked mushrooms tend to lose their taste and texture.

When finished, chicken cacciatore can be served alone, or over either rice or pasta. Many cooks prefer rice, as the sauce has a somewhat starchy quality when augmented by the pasta. If serving this dish without pasta or rice, the dish is often best served with a crusty Italian or French bread, so one can sop up the luscious sauce.

Since most modern recipes add tomatoes, the result will not be quite the same, but is also very tasty. The proportions tend to be approximately two pounds (.90 kg) of chicken to one pound (.45 kg) of tomatoes. Once the chicken has been fried on each side, all but the mushroom are added. The mushrooms are usually added during the last 20 to 30 minutes of cooking. The dish is left to simmer on very low heat from an hour to two hours depending on the degree of firmness one wishes in the chicken.

Because of its ease in preparation and its use of dark meat, chicken cacciatore is a wonderful dish to prepare for large parties or large families. One can bulk purchase legs and thighs of good quality for much less than purchasing breasts. To lend a little more Italian flavor to the dish, a quarter cup of Marsala or red wine can be added as the chicken cacciatore simmers.

Share
DelightedCooking is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By anon106899 — On Aug 27, 2010

they may not have used flour, but the pan searing is right, hunters tended to cook everything in an iron pot which lends itself to a fry, sear, bake and /or boil technique.

By anon91027 — On Jun 19, 2010

I make chicken cacc the way my mother and grandmother made it, without sauce and served as is for family parties.

first my mother had a big pot and in that pot she threw in olive oil garlic seasonings and on a high heat would sear the chicken parts: thigh wings and legs and stir. Then the magic potion would be a port red wine. Mmmm. What was the secret ingredient. And keep stirring till everything was nice and brown then lower the heat and cook till done. Oh yes, I can smell and taste them now. Yes the chicken fell off the bone but it was so good.

By anon84508 — On May 16, 2010

I agree with anon21442. I figure they started off the chicken in the pot and as it browned they added whatever they could find: fresh herbs, water and wine if they had it, left it to simmer and when they returned, presto! A tasty stew.

By anon61636 — On Jan 21, 2010

I had cacciatore several times in Italy; none included tomatoes. The cacciatore I had in Umbria was the best and I would guess that the recipe was very primitive.

A whole chicken was cut into small pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper and browned (no flour. Yes, "traditional hunters" probably browned their bird or rabbit without flour.) in an iron pot. Twigs of rosemary, sage and thyme were added to the pot. Vinegar was added and vaporized. White wine was added and the pot was covered and the mixture left to simmer for about 20 minutes. It was served with a side of steamed vegetables, a crusty loaf and an Umbrian white wine which tasted like a sauvignon blanc only with a little more body and sweetness. Delicious!

Though I never experienced it in Italy, I suspect that the tomato version of the dish is southern Italian; maybe even Sicilian.

By anon61160 — On Jan 18, 2010

My mother would make it with out tomatoes, it was awesome! This is the first time I have seen a recipe with out the tomatoes. my grandparents were from Italy and I'm sure that is where she got the recipe.

By anon21442 — On Nov 16, 2008

I'd love to try the stewed chicken sans tomatoes, but I doubt the traditional hunters stew incorporated flour and pan searing. :)

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a DelightedCooking contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-is-chicken-cacciatore.htm
Copy this link
DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

DelightedCooking, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.