Chicken Stew With Black Olives A Romanian Version Of Chicken Cacciatore Recipes

HUNTER'S CHICKEN STEW (POLLO ALLA CACCIATORA)

Steps:

• Chicken cacciatora seems to be reasonably well known in Britain because it's the classic pre-packed dish you find in Italian food ranges in supermarkets (which, to be honest, never taste of much). When you get the real deal cooked at home with love and passion it's a totally different experience. It's a simple combination of flavours that just works really well. Cacciatore means 'hunter', so this is obviously the type of food that a hunter's wife cooks for her fella when he gets home from a hard morning spent in the countryside. This is also a great dish for big parties, as it looks after itself in the oven. In the picture I've made it for about 12 people.
• Season the chicken pieces with salt and freshly ground black pepper and put them into a bowl. Add the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs and the crushed clove of garlic and cover with the wine. Leave to marinate for at least an hour, but preferably overnight in the fridge.
• Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, and pat dry with kitchen paper. Dust the chicken pieces with flour and shake off any excess. Heat an ovenproof pan, add a splash of olive oil, fry the chicken pieces until browned lightly all over and put to one side.
• Place the pan back on the heat and add the sliced garlic. Fry gently until golden brown, then add the anchovies, olives, tomatoes (broken up with a wooden spoon) and the chicken pieces with their reserved marinade. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid or a double thickness layer of foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1½ hours.
• Skim off any oil that's collected on top of the sauce, then stir, taste and add a little salt and pepper if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs, and serve with a salad, or some cannellini beans, and plenty of Chianti.

CHICKEN STEW WITH BLACK OLIVES- A ROMANIAN VERSION OF CHICKEN CACCIATORE

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt, pepper.
• Place a heavy pan on the stove on medium heat and drizzle it with oil.
• If you use chicken parts with the skin on, place chicken skin side down and do not move it until it reaches a deep golden brown and it's easy to turn. Flip the chicken on the other side and brown it as well. Remove the chicken and set aside.
• Add to the pan the chopped onion.
• Saute the onion until becomes translucid and develops flavor. Add the water(or chicken broth) and lower the heat to medium low. Return the meat to the pan and let it simmer until the chicken is tender.
• Meanwhile. preheat oven to 350F/180C.(We will finish the stew in the oven later)
• Add to the pan the olives, bay leaves, thyme, black peppercorns and the slices of lemon and continue to simmer everything for few more minutes.
• Meanwhile, mix together tomato paste, wine and mustard.
• Pour the mixture over the chicken.
• Season with salt and pepper(We did not add salt at the beginning, because the olives are already salty).
• Place the pan in the oven and bake it for about 20 minutes, so the tomato sauce forms. It is ready when you see the oil rising on top of the sauce. If you feel that the sauce is too thick, a little bit of water or broth can be added.
• This stew, originally, is served cold as a main dish(great in summer) but can be served also warm.
• Serve it with rustic bread to dip in the sauce.