Pollo alla Cacciatora or Chicken Cacciatore is a traditional Italian dish of chicken braised in a tomato and white wine sauce with mushrooms and vegetables. It is sometimes referred to as Hunter’s Stew – “Alla Cacciatora” means “Hunter’s Style” in Italian.
This is a great winter dish, one of my favorites and easy to make. It practically cooks itself. I’ve modified it slightly from the traditional by changing the vegetables and using boneless chicken breasts. I serve it over polenta in the traditional northern style but it can also be served over pasta.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1½ to 2 pounds boneless chicken breast
- 16 oz can stewed tomatoes
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat parsley
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1 small can pitted black olives
- 1 small can cut green beans
- 1 package instant polenta*
Preparation:
Heat oil to medium-high in a large frying pan. Combine flour, salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Cook about 5 minutes on each side until brown.
Lightly grind the tomatoes in a food processor and add to the pan. Add all remaining ingredients except the olives. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add olives, cook another 10 to 15 minutes.
Cook polenta during the last 20 minutes. Spoon a portion on to each plate and let set until firm, about 5 or 10 minutes. Pour chicken and sauce over the polenta and serve.
Makes four servings.
The traditional recipe calls for wild mushrooms. These are getting more difficult to find, and I don’t care for the farm grown mushrooms in my sauce, so I substitute other veggies.
* Purists despise instant polenta. Yes, there is a taste and texture difference from the real thing. I remember my grandparents cooking and stirring it in a large pot for an hour or more with the wooden spoon, pouring it onto a cloth, letting it cool and then cutting it with a string. And I remember how good it tasted. However, in the interests of time, I find the compromise of instant is acceptable.
