Chicken Cacciatore

I have seen so many versions of this chicken dish, some with a long list of ingredients that I don't even bother reading the recipe. "Cacciatore" means "hunter" and I don't think the hunter's wife would have all of these at hand. And even if she has, she wouldn't waste precious time preparing them when the family's hungry. For me, the beauty of this dish lies in its rustic simplicity.

I always use a whole chicken to make this dish, but if you don't like having to cut it up, you can use pre-cut chicken pieces that roughly add up to around 2 kg. Please remember that the amount of herbs and seasonings is just a guideline...you can reduce or increase the amount to taste. Dried herbs will work just fine, too.

Ingredients
1/2 cup flour
1 whole free range chicken, jointed
3 tablespoons Spanish or Italian olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
400 g can chopped Italian tomatoes
1 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup black or green olives
1/4 cup coarsely chopped basil leaves
Himalayan or sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and sprinkle lightly with flour.
2. Heat a large pan (I use a heavy saute pan) over medium to high heat. Add the olive oil.
3. When the oil is hot, fry the chicken pieces until just brown and transfer to a plate. Do not overcrowd the pan so you may need to do this in batches. 
4. Lower heat to medium and saute the garlic until golden brown. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn!!! Add the onion and stir fry until soft and caramelized.
5. Add the wine and simmer until it's reduced by around half. Add the tomatoes, water or broth, balsamic vinegar, parsley, bay leaves, oregano, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer.
6. Put the chicken back into the pan and coat with the sauce. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Check the chicken halfway through and add more water if it gets too dry.
7. Add the olives, adjust the seasoning and simmer for around 10 more minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.
8. Transfer the chicken into a serving platter and spoon the sauce over it. Sprinkle with chopped basil leaves just before serving.

You can serve this with a salad, and/or a crusty bread, rice, couscous, cannellini beans, or soft polenta...and, of course, a few glasses of Sangiovese or Chianti.