My mother, Marcella Hazan, used to make this dish for just the two of us, said Giuliano Hazan in Saveur. She was known to the world as an exacting, sometimes uncompromising authority on Italian cooking, but everything she made was imbued with soul. When she made this rustic classic, the chicken was always “fall off the bone” tender and the flavor deeply satisfying.
Pollo alla cacciatora (Hunter’s wife’s chicken)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- one 3- to 4-lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- kosher salt and black pepper
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp minced rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium carrot, cut into ¼-in pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
- ²⁄³ cup dry white wine
- one 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
Heat oil in an 8-qt saucepan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Working in batches, cook chicken until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; set aside.
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Add rosemary, garlic, bay leaf, carrot, bell pepper, onion, and celery to pan; cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring and scraping browned bits from bottom of pan, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to pan and add tomatoes; bring to a simmer.
Cook, covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Uncover and stir in parsley. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a serving platter; spoon sauce over the top.
