Chicken Cacciatore Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

Is chicken cacciatore better with red or white wine? ›

Red wine adds robust flavor to this chicken braised in a tomato and garlic sauce. Cooking with wine adds richness to favorite recipes. I fell in love with this classic dish when friends cooked it for my birthday last year.

If you want to make this recipe totally alcohol free you can just omit the red wine and use chicken stock instead.

Aside from the chicken, the basic ingredients in chicken cacciatore are: onions, herbs, tomatoes and sometimes mushrooms. Some variations will call for carrots and celery, while others call for bell peppers or other vegetables. Some even flavor the tomato sauce with anchovies, which I haven't tried yet.

The Sicilian Red is a great wine to pair with this dish. It is one of the fuller-bodied selections on the list. It is medium for both acid and tannins. These bold flavors with balanced tannins make this a great option if you lean towards something more full-bodied.

Use balsamic vinegar as a 1:1 substitute for red wine vinegar in most recipes. You can also dilute it with white vinegar or red wine. Because of its thicker, sweeter properties, you may need to reduce the sweetness in the recipe you're following.

White Wine Vinegar

It's milder and more delicately flavored than its red counterpart, but it's also made from grapes and has a similar level of acidity. If the color of the vinegar doesn't matter to you, or if you want to avoid adding alcohol altogether, white wine vinegar is a great substitute for red wine vinegar.

To Make Ahead: Chicken Cacciatore can be prepared a day ahead, as the taste and flavors get stronger, and taste even better. We prepared it on Saturday afternoon, refrigerate overnight and reheated it to share on Sunday for lunch.

Chicken Cacciatore, or "Pollo alla Cacciatora" in Italian, translates to "hunter's chicken," a name that reveals much about its humble origins. This dish has a rich history that dates back to the Renaissance period in Italy, though its exact origins have been passed on through folklore stories and tradition.

What does cacciatore mean in Italian? ›

Translation of cacciatore – Italian–English dictionary

hunter [noun] a person who hunts. huntsman [noun] a hunter.

Easy Chicken Cacciatore tips

To thicken the sauce using the cornstarch method, just whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water.

The pollo alla cacciatora is a simple and traditional dish prepared with some little differences in almost all the regions of Italy. The chicken is jointed into pieces and quickly pan-fried, then slowly stewed in a tasty tomato sauce. Rosemary, garlic and wine are essential to donate a characteristic flavour.

Cacciatore Calabrese is a versatile, dry aged salami that can be served thinly sliced for sandwiches or toppings, or served as an appetiser with cheese and a dry white wine.

White Meat vs. Dark Meat – As a general rule, white meat such as chicken or turkey breast pairs well with white wines like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, while dark meat like duck and other game go well with medium-bodied red wines such as Pinot Noir or Zinfandel.

And here's a pro tip – white wine often works just as well as red if you're trying to add a little flavor and depth to tomato sauce. While red wine bumps up the richness for a more robust sauce, white wine contributes a delicate fruity flavor that's unexpected and often delightful.

That said, chicken is a light meat, it won't surprise you to learn that white wine is generally a more flexible match with smooth dry whites like chardonnay happily partnering a great many chicken dishes. But there are recipes I'd definitely pair with a red . . .

The best wine to use in your dish will often be one that will pair well with your meal. Dry red wines are best used for sauces such as Wine Reduction Sauce, Bourguignonne Sauce and Beurre Rouge. Dry white wines are used for everything from cream sauces, soups and to deglaze your pan.