Chicken Cacciatore

Ketogenic Friendly

Cacciatore means “Hunter” or Hunter-Style, it has an ancient history going back to the Renaissance, around the 1500’s in Central Northern Italy. It was usually made with rabbit or fowl that would be caught by the hunter when he was out for bigger game. Chicken Cacciatore is rustic dish made on an ancient hearth or out in the open with ingredients readily available in the forest or the Renaissance kitchen. These would be olives curing in the brine, the ever present wine and herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

Tomatoes would not have originally been in the recipe since they did not become popular in Italy until 1889 when Napoli introduced the Margherita Pizza for Queen Margherita. So it actually is different than we are used to in American recipes for Chicken Cacciatore that are more like a chicken in a marinara sauce. I love the rustic flavor of olives, wine and rosemary. Served with a crusty grilled bruschetta And grilled potatoes it is perfect for a cold winter night.

Once when I was relatively new to Italy I made this dish for a gathering but I added tomatoes and green beans. I told the Italians present that it was Chicken Cacciatore. They ate it and then promptly told me “this is good chicken, but it is NOT Chicken Cacciatore! So once again I learned the hard way that you can’t add things to an ancient Italian tradition!

Chicken Cacciatore

1 whole chicken (or rabbit if you are adventurous) cut up into pieces
1 cup white wine
4 cloves garlic
olive oil
several sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon sea salt
couple grinds black pepper
1/2 cup kalamata olives

Instructions:

In a large ovenproof skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons olive oil in a stockpot or large skillet, brown on all sides. Add whole smashed garlic cloves, fresh chopped rosemary, olives and continue browning. Add salt and pepper and deglaze by adding the white wine. Stir and bring to a slight boil at this point you can place it covered in a oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or cover and cook on the stovetop until chicken is tender about 45 minutes.

Italians would serve Chicken Cacciatore alone as a “Secondo” or second course, the meat course after the pasta or rice dish. My husband likes it served with “riced cauliflower” while I prefer it with roasted potatoes. Just throw a few sliced potatoes in the baking dish when the chicken is cooking. Buon Appetito!

Fry chicken for cacciatore — Brown the chicken for Chicken Cacciatore

Add the fresh herbs, garlic, continue to cook until fragrant, deglaze the pan with white wine and add the olives, cook covered in the oven for 45 minutes or on the cook top

Add a layer of thinly sliced potatoes tossed in olive oil during the last 20 minutes of cooking if potatoes are desired

Serve Chicken Cacciatore with “riced cauliflower” for Keto friendly recipe

Riced Cauliflower:

1/2 head of cauliflower
3 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove
salt to taste, about 1/2 teaspoon

Instructions:

First finely chop the cauliflower until it resembles rice. You can chop by hand or use a food processor.
melt butter in a skillet, add garlic and “riced” cauliflower
add cauliflower and cook until tender, about 7 minutes