I was looking for something different to make for dinner, and decided on Yotam’s recipe for summer chicken cacciatore with herb salsa. The recipe comes from Jake Norman who works at the Ottolenghi test kitchen. This is not a traditional recipe, but rather one that takes inspiration from a few recipes.
Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Chicken Cacciatore ♥
Learning foreign languages
As many of you will know, I have been learning Italian for a long time. I would not say I am proficient as the only the only time I get to practice is when we are in Italy. I studied French in High School, but if I am stuck for a word in French I will first think of it in Italian, and then translate from there. That probably sounds strange, but I know a lot more Italian words than I do French. This year I have added Dutch to the list. I did this for one year at University level, but I did not pass the course. I also did not attend many lectures, or write the exam, so I have no-one to blame but myself. However, the language rules stuck, which has helped a lot.
Chicken cacciatore
This Italian meal is usually made with chicken or rabbit, and is prepared with a base of onions, garlic, herbs, tomatoes and wine. Interestingly, the ingredients for coniglio alla cacciatora (rabbit), will include olives. I say interestingly, as the recipe from Comfort for chicken cacciatore, uses olives in the herb salsa. My previous recipe for hunter’s chicken included corn, and was made long before I bought a camera! Nevertheless, it was a tasty dish and very hearty. Which is what chicken cacciatore should be. Yotam suggests serving this dish with a leafy salad or boiled potatoes. Both to me would be a great idea, to make this a complete meal. And you could double up on the salsa to use with the potatoes.
Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Chicken Cacciatore ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
for the chicken:
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1.25 mls dried oregano
- 1.25 mls dried thyme
- salt to season
- 7.5 mls olive oil
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 100 g rosa tomatoes, cut in half
- 7.5 mls apple cider vinegar
- 75 g sliced, sourdough bread, without the crust, toasted then cut into 4cm pieces
for the herb salsa:
- 50 mls olive oil
- 25 g pitted green olives, cut in half
- 15 g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 10 g chives, sliced into 1cm pieces
- 8 g sesame seeds, toasted
- 5 g mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1.25 mls dried oregano
- 1.25 mls dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- ½ lemon, zest and juice
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Method
for the chicken:
- Preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
- Place the chicken into a large bowl, sprinkle over the oregano and thyme and season generously with salt
- Rub the herbs and salt into the chicken and set aside
- Place a high sided stove top and oven proof lidded sauté pan onto the stove over a high temperature
- Add the oil, and when hot, add the tomatoes and season with salt
- Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- When the tomatoes have started to break down and release their juices, add the chicken, skin side up
- Add the vinegar, put the lid on and place into the oven for 40 minutes
- Increase the oven temperature to 220° Celsius, remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes
- Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate to rest for 10 minutes
- Add the bread to the pan and stir in to the tomatoes
for the herb salsa:
- While the chicken is in the oven place the oil, olives, parsley, chives, sesame seeds, mint, oregano, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and juice into a bowl
- Season to taste, mix to combine and set aside
to serve:
- Tip the tomatoes onto a serving platter, and top with the chicken, basting the skin with some of the pan juices
- Season to taste then top with the salsa and serve
See the links below for blog posts I published on October 7:
- 2022: Bacon Relish
- 2020: September 2020 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2019: Waterblommetjie Bredie
- 2018: Liar Liar
- 2016: Vegetarian Pasta Bake
- 2015: October 2015 Showcasing In My Kitchen
- 2012: Chantel Dartnall Interview
- 2011: Chocolate Chip Cookies / Something Savoury Challenge: Shin
- 2010: Truffles
Chicken cacciatore has been a lifelong favourite for me – lovely to see you bringing it up! Love the ideas in your herb and olive salas > you have given an old beloved recipe a new appearance – thank you!
My pleasure Eha 🙂
Love chicken cacciatore! Yours looks very inviting and delicious.
Thank you so much! That is a compliment indeed coming from you, as all your chicken dishes look so good 🙂
Fantastic! I love herby salads that top protein. Great ingredients! You’re amazing. My brain could not deal with learning even one language! But I’m almost 70. I’m taking my grand daughter to Paris in the spring and I’ve got to start working on my French!!! My mother knew 4 languages, and when she sang only German would come out! Very strange!
That is so interesting about your mom! Enjoy Paris, we stayed at an amazing apartment hotel last week when we were there. This trip we found so many people who spoke English quite willingly. But please and thank you are always good to know in the language of the country you are visiting 🙂
This sounds delicious. I didn’t know you had a flair for language. I tried to learn a bit of French and still remember a smattering. Other than that it’s only English and Afrikaans and a smattering of Zulu.
My smattering of Zulu is from our maid growing up 😉
I once wanted to be an omniglot, but soon realized my brain struggled to maintain just two languages in tandem. I’d say you still have me beat! No matter, Cacciatore transcends all language. This looks so delicious and I’d love to try it with chickpea cutlets.
Oh, that sounds like a good substitution! Let me know how it goes 🙂
This looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing, and warm greetings from Montreal, Canada ❤️😊 🇨🇦
Thanks for the visit Linda, and the compliment 🙂
this sounds very herby and delicious Tandy. I too like to use chicken thighs. I learned French from when i was 11 years old and also learned Latin and Spanish and Japanese at uni. So my brain is very wired into language and grammar – a good thing for a writer!
Wow, Japanese must be so difficult to learn!
Looks very delicious! Love the idea of herb salsa.
Thanks so much 🙂
It looks and sounds delicious. I am like you. I took French all through high school and college, but “je ne me souviens pas beaucoup”. I never took Spanish, but worked in restaurants in Southern California for decades, and we travel to both Mexico and Spain often. So I speak a lot more Spanish than I do French, though I can easily get by in both. I’ve been told i speak Spanish with a French accent. 🙂
That Spanish must sound very romantic then!
This Chicken Cacciatore is a culinary escape on its own. I always loved Ottolenghi recipe they always inspire. Have a great evening, ~Nessa
Thanks Nessa, he is very inspiring!
This looks delicious Tandy, I need to make this again, with this amazing looking salsa. Pauline (Happy Retirees Kitchen)
Hope you enjoy the salsa Pauline 🙂