Name: Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3 chicken leg quarters (bone-in, skin-on; thighs split from legs (see note 1)); 60 ml extra virgin olive oil (divided); 1 yellow onion (thinly sliced); 1 red pepper (thinly sliced); 2 anchovy fillets (roughly chopped); 5 cloves garlic (roughly chopped); 1 tbsp tomato paste; ½ tsp chili flakes; ¼ tsp dried oregano; 1 can whole peeled tomatoes (crushed with hands); 500 ml chicken stock; 50 g pitted olives (such as kalamata or castelvetrano, roughly chopped); 2 sprigs fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary (or a combination); 2 bay leaves; 500 ml chicken stock; 500 ml milk; 3 g salt; 120 g yellow polenta (not quick-cooking); 30 g unsalted butter; 30 g parmesan cheese (grated)

I knew this was going to be a great recipe when I was first developing it and its rich smell began to permeate the house as it bubbled away. Chicken cacciatore is a simple Italian chicken stew that shouldn’t be difficult to make – and my recipe is easy!

It doesn’t require a lot of active time and the majority of the cooking is dedicated to it stewing (and smelling amazing).

My recipe also doesn’t use any wine and is mostly pantry friendly. Spooned over a helping of cheesy polenta, this is weeknight friendly because you can get it on the table in under an hour – and do other things while its cooking!

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore Without Wine

To get the best, rich flavour out of this stew, start by browning the chicken – I do this in my chicken curry as well.

Use chicken leg quarters that you’ve split or bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks. I don’t recommend using white meat as it doesn’t stand up to the long stewing time.

Add a bit of olive oil to a large Dutch oven (or a suitable oven-safe pot) and set it over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook on one side until it’s golden brown and releases easily from the pan – this will take about 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side.

It’s likely you’ll need to work in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. And once your chicken is browned, move it to a place and set aside for later.

Now, add a sliced onion, a sliced red pepper, some roughly chopped garlic, a couple of anchovy fillets and a generous pinch of salt.

Cook this for about 10 minutes – until everything has softened. As the veggies release their moisture, use this as an opportunity to scrape up any browned bits that have collected on the bottom of the pan.

Cooking the onion, pepper, garlic and anchovies

After the veggies are softened, add in some tomato paste, some dried oregano and some chili flakes. Cook for another couple of minutes before pouring in some crushed canned tomatoes and a bit of chicken stock.

Stir in some chopped pitted olives and toss in a couple of bay leaves and some sprigs of fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary (or a combination!).

Return your browned chicken to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring everything up to a simmer and then move the pot to a 180°C/350°F oven to continue to cook for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, this is a great time to get your polenta cooking. This is super simple. All you need to do is pour a combination of milk and chicken stock in a pot and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, slowly pour in your polenta while whisking constantly – this is just to prevent lumps.

Allow the polenta to bubble away for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, while your chicken finishes. Once it’s thick and tender, stir in some grated parmesan cheese and a bit of butter and season with salt and pepper.

After about 30 minutes, go ahead and check to see that the chicken is done – it should register at least 75°C/165°F on an instant-read thermometer.

If it’s past this, don’t worry – this is the reason we use dark meat, as it just gets more tender the longer that it cooks.

Now it’s time to serve! Go ahead and serve the stew over your cheesy polenta, then dig in.

Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta

This warming Italian chicken stew made with no wine is simple to make and the perfect dish to let bubble on the stove. Served over creamy, cheesy polenta, it's very hearty and delicious.

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Servings 4

Prep Time 5

Total Time 55

Ingredients

Chicken Cacciatore

3 chicken leg quarters bone-in, skin-on; thighs split from legs (see note 1)
60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil divided
1 yellow onion thinly sliced
1 red pepper thinly sliced
2 anchovy fillets roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
½ tsp chili flakes
¼ tsp dried oregano
1 can whole peeled tomatoes crushed with hands
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
50 g (¼ cup) pitted olives such as kalamata or castelvetrano, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh oregano, thyme or rosemary or a combination
2 bay leaves

Polenta

500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
500 ml (2 cups) milk
3 g (½ tsp) salt
120 g (¾ cup) yellow polenta not quick-cooking
30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter
30 g (⅓ cup) parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Add 30ml (2 tbsp) of the olive oil to a Dutch oven and set it over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the chicken (you may need to work in batches to avoid overcrowding) and cook on one side until golden and it releases easily, about 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion, pepper, garlic and anchovies to the pot along with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown – about 8-10 minutes.
Add the tomato paste, chili flakes and dried oregano. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, just until the tomato paste begins to darken and stick to the bottom of the pan.
Pour over the tomatoes and chicken stock and stir in the olives, herb sprigs and bay leaves. Add the chicken back into the pot along with any accumulated juices, ensuring it's covered by the liquid. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat and move to the oven.
Cook the stew, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced and thickened and the chicken is cooked through (registers at least 75°C/165°F on an instant-read thermometer) and tender – about 30 minutes.
While the stew is in the oven, make the polenta. Add the stock, milk and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, sloly pour in the polenta while stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the polenta is thick and tender – about 30 minutes.
Remove the polenta from the heat and stir in the butter and then parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately alongside the chicken.