Hairy Bikers Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Hairy Bikers chicken cacciatore browns skin-on legs in a pan, then simmers them in red wine and canned tomatoes with bacon lardons and mushrooms. It comes from Everyday Winners at around 455 kcal, serves 4, and needs just 15 minutes of prep before an hour of hands-off cooking.

The headnote calls this ‘chicken cacciatore, or hunter’s chicken’ and says the bacon and mushrooms make it a robust winter supper. Red wine gives the sauce more depth than white would, and the canned tomatoes break down into the liquid as it simmers.

Seven to eight minutes of browning skin-side down is what builds the sauce, because that long sear renders fat and leaves sticky fond on the pan. The red wine lifts those caramelised bits off when it hits the hot surface, so nothing is wasted and the sauce starts rich from the first splash.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Braising Cuisine:British Italian Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time:1 hour Rest time: minutesTotal time:1 hour 15 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:455 kcal Best Season:Summer

Description

Chicken legs sear until the skin turns golden and crisp, then bacon, onion wedges, and mushrooms cook in the same pan. Red wine and a tin of tomatoes go in, the chicken returns, and everything simmers partially covered for half an hour until the meat is close to falling off the bone.

Ingredients

For the Cacciatore

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chicken legs or 8 thighs, skin on, bone in
• 100g bacon lardons
• 150g chestnut mushrooms, halved
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large thyme sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 100ml red wine
• 400g can of tomatoes
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Handful of parsley, chopped, to serve

Instructions

1. Brown the chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large lidded sauté pan or flameproof casserole dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown for at least 7 to 8 minutes on the skin side until deeply golden. Turn and cook for a couple of minutes on the other side, then remove and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon and vegetables: Add the bacon lardons, mushrooms, and onion wedges to the pan. Fry over a medium heat until the bacon is crisp and brown and the mushrooms and onion have softened, then stir in the garlic and herbs.
3. Deglaze with wine: Pour in the red wine and bring to the boil, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to lift any sticky caramelised bits.
4. Simmer: Add the canned tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken pieces back in the pan and push them into the sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and close to falling off the bone.
5. Serve: Scatter with chopped parsley and serve with roast new potatoes.

FAQs

What is the difference between chicken cacciatore and chicken chasseur?

Both names mean hunter’s chicken, but cacciatore is Italian and chasseur is French. This cacciatore uses red wine, bacon lardons, and canned tomatoes for a darker, heartier sauce. Their chicken chasseur from Mums Still Know Best takes a different path with white wine, flour-dusted thighs, and banana shallots for a lighter, more refined finish.

The two recipes sit in different books and use different techniques, so Google searchers looking for one are not looking for the other.

Why does the chicken need so long on the skin side?

Most recipes rush browning to two or three minutes, which leaves the skin flabby and the pan clean. The full seven to eight minutes draws enough fat out of the skin to fry the bacon and vegetables without adding more oil. It also creates a thick layer of fond on the pan floor, which is where the sauce gets its colour and body once the wine lifts it.

What makes this easy enough for a weeknight?

Fifteen minutes of chopping is all the prep, because everything after that happens in one pan with the lid on. There is no marinating, no spice grinding, and no separate sauce to make. The chicken, bacon, and vegetables all cook in the same vessel, and the hob does the rest while you do something else for half an hour.

Does chicken cacciatore freeze well?

It freezes well for up to three months, and the sauce actually thickens and improves after thawing. Cool it completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container, and reheat on the hob over a gentle heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

If you like cooking big batches of braises to freeze, their Hungarian goulash and beef bourguignon both follow the same logic of browning, deglazing, and slow simmering that rewards patience.

How is this different from plain chicken in tomato sauce?

Three things separate it. The long browning builds a layer of caramelised fond that a quick sear cannot create. The red wine deglazes that fond and adds acidity that tomatoes alone do not carry. And the bacon lardons bring a smoky, salty backbone to the sauce that turns it from a simple tomato braise into something with real depth.

For another tomato-sauced dish that takes a completely different approach, their spaghetti and meatballs builds the sauce from fresh tomatoes and white wine around baked pine nut pork meatballs.