Serves:
6
Chicken cacciatore
The classical Italian dish, which is essentially a chicken casserole using chicken drumsticks, utilises fresh ingredients and is simple to make. It is best cooked in a large slow cooker: 4–5 litres (4–5 US liquid quarts).
Ingredients
12
chicken drumsticks, skin removed
3
cloves of garlic, crushed
4
anchovy fillets diced
2
medium slices of pancetta
2
sprigs of rosemary
400
grams
tin of diced tomatoes
1
leek
Handful of black olives
150
grams
button mushrooms
Handful of finely chopped fresh basil
250
millilitres
good red wine
100
millilitres
chicken stock
2
tablespoons
tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1.Tickly slice the onion and the leek.
2.Finely slice the pancetta.
3.Finely chop the anchovy and the garlic.
4.Cook the onion, garlic, anchovy and leek in a frying pan with the olive oil until the onion softens.
5.Add the wine and bring to the boil and then reduce uncovered by half.
6.Transfer to the slow cooker.
7.Add to the cooker the stock, paste, basil and tomatoes.
8.In the same frying pan cook the chicken in batches until browned all over and then transfer to the slow cooker.
9.Cook on low for 5 hours and then add the olives and mushrooms and cook for a further hour on low.
10.Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh flat leave parsley and serve with steamed vegetables such as green beans or asparagus.