Roman Chicken Cacciatore
Roman Chicken Cacciatore is an easy, inexpensive and incredibly delicious weeknight dinner. Bone-in chicken thighs slowly braised in a flavorful sauce made from white wine, vinegar, garlic and rosemary. This is nothing like the American-style, tomato-based chicken cacciatore you're probably familiar with. It's soo much better!
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Last year during a trip to Italy we ate one of the best, most memorable meals in the Trastavere neighborhood of Rome. It was Sunday lunch at a tiny spot called Trattoria Da Augusto. We ordered braised beef rolls, spaghetti Amatricina, rabbit cacciatore and a side of greens. We had no idea what to expect, but were blown away by the humble, yet incredibly flavorful meal, of which the rabbit was a clear standout.
What makes Roman Chicken Cacciatore different?
Before my trip to Rome, I'd only known cacciatore as the busy, Americanized dish made with tomatoes, olives, green peppers, mushrooms, etc. The rabbit cacciatore we had that day, however, couldn't have been more different. It was so simple, so delicate and so perfect. Fall-off-the-bone tender and flavored gently, but profoundly, with vinegar and rosemary. It was homey peasant food, yet so much more than the sum of its parts.
Cacciatora translates to "hunter's wife" in Italian, and was originally created to use up whatever meat brought home that day, oftentimes rabbit and wild game. Modern day cooks, especially in America, typically use chicken since that's what's available. Like all regional Italian recipes, each version is going to be a little bit different. While other parts of Italy may use tomatoes and other vegetables, when in Rome, cacciatore refers to meat braised in vinegar. That's it.
How is Roman Chicken Cacciatore Made?
This recipe is incredibly simple, has a short ingredient list and yet still manages to produce SO. MUCH. FLAVOR.
What gives it all that flavor? Vinegar. Also white wine, garlic and rosemary - all simple ingredients that really pack a punch. The vinegar, however, is what gives it that tangy, bold taste, while also helping to break down and tenderize the chicken.
There's also another ingredient: anchovies. Don't give me that look! I know you love a caesar salad.
When cooked down in this sauce, anchovies add an incredible amount of umami and richness without tasting fishy or funky at all. TRUST! They're an essential part of the recipe and it just doesn't taste quite right without them. I promise, you would not even know they're in there if I didn't tell you. If you've been anti-anchovy all your life, let this be the recipe that helps you face your fear.
I like to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs in order to achieve maximum flavor, but it can be done with boneless skinless too. In the photos you'll notice there is lots of chopped up garlic and rosemary, but after testing and retesting the recipe, I found I like it better with whole, smashed garlic cloves and whole sprigs of rosemary instead, as they add a subtler flavor.
The chicken gets seared in hot oil to brown and build up lots of flavor, then in go the anchovies to sizzle and melt into the oil, along with some garlic cloves to brown. Then the pan gets deglazed with dry white wine, white wine vinegar and a bit of water for balance, along with a few sprigs of rosemary for their earthy, herby flavor. The chicken comes back into the party and everything simmers together for a little bit to get happy.
This is such a forgiving recipe, I've made it so many different ways and it always turns out delicious. The ingredients are inexpensive and it takes less than 40 minutes from start to finish. Serve with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, polenta, pasta and/or crusty bread - you'll want to soak up every last drop of that sauce.
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Roman Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lbs)
- salt and pepper
- 6-8 oil-packed anchovies
- 3 garlic cloves smashed*
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary*
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or wide, heavy-bottomed pot or pan with high sides over medium-high heat.
- Season chicken thighs all over with salt and pepper, then place 4 of them in the pan skin-side-down and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes more, then transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken thighs.
- Lower the heat, then add the anchovies to the pan and stir until they start to break down and dissolve in the fat. Add the garlic and rosemary and sauté for about a minute.
- Deglaze the pan with vinegar, white wine and water, then nestle the chicken pieces back into the pan. Bring the sauce up to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it at a low simmer. Spoon some of the sauce over each chicken thigh, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken for about 10 minutes more.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves if desired, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This was fabulous! My husband and son could not stop saying how flavorful this dish was! I did not read the directions completely and chopped the garlic and the rosemary, next time I will leave them whole to experience the difference.
Either way I am sure this will be a dish I make over and over again!
Thank you for sharing!
JoAnn
Thanks for taking the time to leave such a lovely review! I sometimes chop the garlic and rosemary too if I'm in the mood for more garlic. It doesn't make a huge difference to the recipe either way, it really depends on your preference, but omitting the chopping definitely cuts back on the prep time! So glad you all enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Wow! You weren't kidding about big flavors from such simple ingredients. I served this with a creamy parmesan polenta and fresh broccoli. Absolutely delicious! Light, flavorful, and immensely satisfying. Thank you!
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Love this Roman Chicken Cacciatore. We make it often with skinless boneless thighs and serve it with polenta or mashed potatoes. The leftovers make for a great pasta — the sauce is amazing! to give this 5 stars!
Thank you Lisa!!
Love this Roman Chicken Cacciatore. We make it often with skinless boneless thighs and serve it with polenta or mashed potatoes. The leftovers make for a great pasta — the sauce is amazing!
Another great recipe. Thank you for sharing this. I made this along with a tomato basil polenta - perfect.
I cut the anchovies in half the second time I made this, much better. The photos imply some dredging of the chicken in flour or corn starch. When done right this is delicious.
There is no flour, corn starch or other thickener, but I can see why you would think that from the photos. The sauce thickens by reducing the liquid along with the dissolved anchovies and the fat that renders from the chicken skin. I'm glad you like the recipe, but sorry you only thought it was worthy of 4 stars
This is wicked good. The only slight tweak I made was doubling the garlic! It is surprisingly yummy. Thanks for this change of pace.
Hi Coley,
Can I substitute Balsamic Vinegar in place of white vinegar?
Thanks!
Hey Rich - I haven't ever tried using balsamic so I can't say exactly, but I think it could work. Two things to note - Balsamic is sweeter than white wine vinegar so that will be reflected in the finished dish. It will also give it a very deep brown color. But I can't see why the flavor would be bad. If you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out!
Hi Coley,
Thanks for responding back to me so quickly. I tried the recipe with the balsamic vinegar, and added a bit more wine (Pinot Grigio) and added some Portabella mushrooms. I actually thought it came out really well. I think the mushrooms possibly neutralized the sweeter Balsamic vinegar. I have to say I love this recipe! I will try it again with the recipe as you have provided also.
thanks for the feedback! I'll have to give that a try!
I’m so glad to find this recipe. My sister made it when she lived in Rome but forgot how she made it.
I just made chicken in my instant pot and wonder if there is any way to import this to that cooking method.
This was really easy to make and so flavorful! Added a full tin of anchovies and increased the aromatics slightly. Only cooked 4 thighs but did not halve the sauce recipe.. The sauce was delicious and the chicken was really tender. Served it with roasted fingerling potatoes ,broccol and garlic. This was an elegant, rustic meal that was perfect on a stormy winter night.
SO glad you enjoyed it!
Hi, what makes the sauce creamy-are you prepping the chicken in flour prior to browning 🤔
Nope, no flour. I wouldn't necessarily call the sauce creamy, but the anchovies, rendered chicken skins and reduced cooking liquid give it a nice richness and viscosity.
Did you make this in a cast iron skillet? I'm wondering if that would be okay, or if there's too much vinegar for that.
I made it in an enameled Dutch oven. I wouldn't recommend making in raw cast iron due to the acidity of the vinegar, as you mentioned. Hope that helps!
This recipe is fantastic. Easy to make and absolutely full of flavor. I was going to leave out the anchovies but she encourage me to keep them in. So I reduced them but two and wow. There is really nothing like the richness they add. I’m husband loved it also. It has complex flavor with an uncomplicated recipe.
This chicken dish sounds so good, Nicole! I definitely will make this for me and my boyfriend 🙂