food

Pollo alla cacciatora is a hearty Italian classic with a delicious red wine sauce.

SERVES 4

1 chicken (2 kilograms), jointed or use the equivalent amount of chicken pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, peeled (1 crushed, 2 sliced)
1/2 bottle Chianti
Flour, for dusting
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 anchovy fillets
A handful of green or black olives, stoned
2 tins (400 grams each) good-quality plum tomatoes

Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put them into a bowl. Add the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and the crushed clove of garlic and cover with the wine. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge.

Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry. Dust the chicken pieces with flour and shake off any excess. Heat an ovenproof pan, add a splash of olive oil, fry the chicken pieces until browned lightly all over and put to one side.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry gently until golden brown, then add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes (broken up with a wooden spoon) and the chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid or a double thickness layer of foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Skim off any oil that’s collected on top of the sauce, then stir, taste and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, and serve with a salad, or some cannellini beans, and plenty of Chianti.

Recipe from Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion Books).

Originally published on 2forcouples.com.

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