Hunter-style Chicken in Skillet: the rich and juicy version; this dish is a staple of home cooking, but the risk is often ending up with dry meat or a separated cooking base.
In this version, the goal is to enhance the chicken through a slow cook in a thick and abundant tomato sauce, enriched by the character of black olives and the scent of fresh rosemary.
The final result should be a dish where the sauce fully coats the pieces of meat, making them immediately inviting and ready for that final bread-sopping “scarpetta”.
Below, as always, I leave you other chicken recipes and then, right under the photo, let’s discover how to prepare Hunter-style Chicken in Skillet 😉
See you soon with the next recipe, Ana Amalia!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for Hunter-style Chicken in Skillet
- 2.2 lb chicken (With skin, cut into 8–10 pieces)
- 3 cups tomato passata (or crushed canned tomatoes)
- 3.5 oz black olives (pitted)
- 2/3 cup dry white wine
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 small white onion
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pinches salt
- to taste black pepper (freshly ground)
- to taste 00 flour (for dusting the chicken pieces)
Preparation Hunter-style Chicken in Skillet
1. Preparing the chicken: Place the chicken on the cutting board. If you cut it yourself, try to obtain pieces of similar size by separating thighs, drumsticks and cutting the breasts: this will ensure even cooking and always juicy meat.
Then pass the pieces in a light dusting of flour, shaking them well between your hands: only a film of flour should remain on the skin, not a heavy crust.
2. Browning: In a large, high-sided skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil with the crushed garlic cloves (which you will remove later) and the finely chopped onion, sauté for a few minutes.
Place the chicken pieces in the skillet and brown them over high heat for about 5–8 minutes, turning them until the skin is golden on all sides.
3. Raise the heat slightly and pour in the white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate completely until you no longer smell the sharp scent.
This step helps to degrease the cooking base and add acidity to the dish.
4. Cooking in the tomato sauce: Add the tomato passata (or the crushed canned tomatoes) directly over the chicken, season with salt and pepper.
Add the sprigs of rosemary (you can tie them with kitchen twine to prevent the needles from falling into the sauce), then cover with a lid and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cook initially for about 20 minutes.
5. The finishing touch with the olives: Turn the chicken pieces so they get well coated in the sauce. If you see the tomato reducing too quickly, add half a cup of hot water.
In the last 15–20 minutes of cooking, add the black olives.
6. Remove the lid in the last 5 minutes to allow the sauce to concentrate well.
You should obtain a thick, bright red consistency that perfectly coats the meat as shown in the photo.
7. Remove the garlic and rosemary. Serve the chicken very hot, making sure to pour plenty of sauce over each plate and garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary to bring out the aroma.
– Soft polenta: It is the classic pairing. The creamy texture of freshly made polenta welcomes the tomato sauce and creates a hearty, balanced one-dish meal.
– Mashed potatoes: A velvety alternative that everyone always likes. Prepare it with little butter so as not to overpower the flavor of the chicken’s cooking sauce.– Rustic toasted bread: If you don’t want to cook another side, serve the chicken with slices of Altamura-style or country bread, lightly grilled. It’s essential to not waste a single spoonful of sauce.
Storage, tips and variations
In the refrigerator: Hunter-style chicken is one of those dishes that is often even better the next day. You can store it in an airtight container for up to 2–3 days.
In the freezer: If the chicken used was fresh (not previously frozen), you can freeze the finished dish for about 2 months.
Browning is everything: Don’t rush this phase. Well-browned, sealed skin will trap the juices inside, preventing the meat from becoming stringy during the long cooking in the tomato sauce.
Thick sauce: If at the end of cooking the sauce still seems too thin, remove the chicken from the skillet, raise the heat for 2–3 minutes and let the sauce reduce quickly before returning the meat and serving.
Quality of the tomato: Use a smooth but full-bodied passata. If you prefer a more rustic texture, opt for hand-crushed whole peeled tomatoes, which will give the dish an even more artisanal appearance.
Spicy touch: If you love bold flavors, add a fresh or dried chili pepper along with the garlic during the initial browning.
Without tomato (white version): You can omit the passata and cook the chicken by deglazing with more white wine and adding vegetable stock little by little. In this case, be generous with the olives and rosemary to keep the character.
Herb mix: Besides rosemary, you can enrich the herb bundle with a few sage leaves or a bay leaf.
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FAQ (Questions & Answers)
What can I use if I don’t have white wine?
You can replace the white wine with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar diluted in half a cup of water. The important thing is to keep an acidic note that helps degrease the cooking base of the chicken.
The sauce remained too thin, any remedy?
If at the end of cooking the tomato is not thick enough, remove the chicken from the skillet so it doesn’t overcook and let the sauce reduce over high heat for a few minutes.
Can I prepare it in advance?
Absolutely yes. Like all stewed dishes, hunter-style chicken gains flavor if it rests.
