Old classic, new tricks: Chicken cacciatore gets a zingy makeover

Read the term “stew” and you’ll be thinking stonking, day-long projects, right? In her third cookbook, Tender, former food stylist-turned-bestselling-author Lucy Tweed explores “the new way to stew”, to deliver soul-feeding, one-pot flavour bombs designed for modern schedules.

Her spin on the Italian hunter’s stew cacciatore, for example, is a vibrant, deeply rich dish made with butterflied whole chicken, which comes together in just over an hour. By hiving off some of the traditional aromatics to create a fresh salsa, she adds extra sparkle at the table.

It proves a proper stew is less about the clock and more about the depth of your ingredients.

Butterflied spicy cacciatore

This technique, with all those red, robust flavours braising beneath the chicken as it roasts and gets crisp on top, is one of my favourite ways to cook. Separating a few of the classic cacciatore ingredients and mixing them together to have as a fresh little side is a fun variation.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole chicken (about 1.5 kg), butterflied (see tips below)
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 red capsicum, sliced into thin strips
• 1 yellow capsicum, sliced into thin strips
• 1 long red chilli, cut in half (optional)
• 1 brown onion, thinly sliced
• 400g canned crushed tomatoes
• 100ml dry white wine
• 100ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• crusty bread or fries, to serve

Simple salsa salad

• 1 handful black Spanish or kalamata pitted olives
• 1 tbsp capers, rinsed
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh oregano
• 15g (½ cup) roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• juice and zest of ½ lemon
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• salt

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
2. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cumin, chilli flakes, ground coriander, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub the mixture all over the butterflied chicken.
3. In a large bowl, toss the garlic, capsicums, chilli (if using) and onion with the crushed tomatoes, white wine, chicken stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, red wine vinegar, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture into a large baking tray with sides and nestle the chicken, skin-side up, on top.
4. Roast for 50-55 minutes, basting the chicken skin a few times with the pan juices, until the chicken is deeply golden and the sauce is thick, glossy and bubbling.
5. Combine all the salsa salad ingredients in a bowl and season well. Set aside until serving.
6. Rest the chicken for 5-10 minutes in the juices before carving. Spoon over plenty of the sauce and serve with a big chunk of crusty bread or fries.
7. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Serves 4-6

TIPS

• Butterflying a chicken is rather simple with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Simply place the chicken breast-side down and then snip away the backbone, cutting either side of it along the ribs. (You can freeze this for stock or discard it.) Now turn the chicken breast-side up and flatten it out, cracking the wishbone at the top with the palm of your hand – alternatively, you can ask your butcher to do this.
• If the sauce gets too thick towards the end, splash in a little extra hot stock or water to keep it glossy and spoonable.
• Swap white wine for beer for a more rustic, earthy flavour.
• Add a squeeze of lemon over the chicken right before serving, for brightness.

This is an edited extract from Tender by Lucy Tweed. Photography by Rob Palmer, Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.