AuthorBen WatsonCategoryAutumn, Chicken and poultry, Dinner, WinterA proper, rustic Italian supper: chicken slowly cooked with a generous sofrito of onion, carrot and celery, then finished with tomatoes, olives, garlic and rosemary. Choose red wine for the Tuscan version, or white wine and mushrooms for the Roman one. Either way, the chicken turns tender and the sauce is made for mopping up with bread.
Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Add the garlic, rosemary, 2 tbsp olive oil and half the wine. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or longer if you have time.
Finely chop the onion, carrots and celery. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan and cook the vegetables gently until soft and just beginning to colour. This is the sofrito: a simple base that brings plenty of flavour to the dish.
Add the chicken and brown it well on all sides. For the Roman version, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they start to colour.
Pour in the remaining wine and let it bubble until reduced to a couple of tablespoons. Add the tomatoes and olives, then season to taste.
Cover and simmer gently for about 50 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Remove the lid and cook for a little longer if needed, until the sauce has thickened.
Serve with potatoes or wide ribbon pasta, and have some good bread on hand for the sauce.
Choose your cacciatore: For the Tuscan version, use red wine and leave out the mushrooms. For the Roman version, use white wine and add the mushrooms. Both start with garlic and rosemary.