Best-ever chicken cacciatore

If there’s anyone who knows how to create a rich, filling and mouth-watering dish, it’s the Italians. This delicious, traditional meal is absolutely perfect for cooler winter nights or for big lunches to feed the whole family. It’s absolutely bursting with flavour thanks to the mixture of the chunky tomato sauce, tender chicken and Kalamata olives all together in one dish. Not only is it super tasty but it’s also incredibly easy to make. Essentially all you need to do is pop everything in the pan and cook! While this dish is absolutely perfect on its own, if you are looking to make a few more meals from this recipe, serve the chicken and sauce on top a generous serving of linguine pasta and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 chicken drumsticks, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
• 6 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled, chopped
• 150g sliced pancetta, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 125g button mushrooms, sliced
• 100ml dry white wine
• 800g can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 150ml chicken liquid stock
• 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method

1. Heat oil in large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Cook chicken pieces until completely browned. Transfer to plate and set aside. Reduce heat to low. Add onion, celery, carrot and pancetta to pan. Cook for 5 minutes until onion softens. Add garlic and mushrooms. Cook for another minute.
2. Add chicken pieces to pan again. Pour in wine. Allow mixture to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, herbs and stock. Bring mixture to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add olives. Cook for another 10 minutes.
4. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce sauce over high heat for 5-6 minutes. Divide between serving plates. Top with parsley. Serve.