Pollo alla Cacciatora

Ingredients

• 1 kg chicken thigh, bone-in and skin-on
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• 3 garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 1½ dl white wine
• 400 g canned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 dl chicken stock
• 2 bay leaf
• 100 g black olives, pitted

Method

1. 1.

   Brown the chicken thighs — Pat the chicken thighs completely dry and season them with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy casserole and lay them in skin-side down over medium heat. Leave them alone for 8 minutes until the skin is deep gold and releases by itself, then turn for 3 minutes and lift out.

2. 2.

   Sweat the soffritto — Pour off all but two tablespoons of the fat, then add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes until soft and sweet, scraping the browned crust off the bottom as they release their moisture. Stir in the garlic and rosemary for a final minute.

3. 3.

   Cook off the wine — Pour in the white wine, raise the heat and let it bubble hard for 3 minutes until it has reduced by half and no longer smells of raw alcohol.

4. 4.

   Braise in the tomatoes — Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and bay leaves, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot. Return the chicken skin-side up so the skin sits above the liquid, bring to a bare simmer, cover and cook for 35 minutes.

5. 5.

   Add the olives and reduce — Uncover, stir in the olives and simmer for a further 15 minutes so the sauce reduces to a glossy coat and the meat pulls away from the bone at a nudge.

6. 6.

   Rest before serving — Fish out the bay leaves and taste for salt — the olives and stock may have done the job for you. Let the pot stand off the heat for 5 minutes before serving, with bread or soft polenta to catch the sauce.