Chicken with Vegetables and Herbs
The name refers to “hunter's style,” whatever that is supposed to mean. I doubt that hunters in Italy, or anywhere else, ever carried all these ingredients, but this is a traditional southern Italian dish. This is a far better version than those popularized in the sixties, which were essentially chicken with canned tomato sauce.
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces, or 2½ to 3 pounds chicken legs and thighs
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- ¼ pound shiitake or button mushrooms, stems removed and discarded (or reserved for stock), sliced
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries, lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup canned tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
- Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions:
- Put the oil in a deep skillet or flameproof casserole, preferably nonstick, with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-high and wait a minute or so, until the oil is hot. Add the chicken, skin side down. Season it with salt and pepper and brown it well, rotating and turning the pieces as necessary, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and pour off the excess fat.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms, juniper berries, and bay leaves, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble away for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and the chicken. Stir, then partially cover the pan; reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Garnish and serve.