Wednesday 25 April 2012

Pollo alla Cacciatora (Hunter's Chicken)


I was in 2 minds about whether or not to blog about this or not. I was a bit disappointed in the taste to be honest. But Gary encouraged me to blog about it anyway so I could say what I would different, so here it is.

This is a Nigella Express recipe, adapted for the slow cooker. You can see the original recipe here.

Pollo Alla Cacciatora
(serves 4)

Heat some garlic oil (or oil and a bit of garlic) in a pan, then add 6 chopped spring onions and 75g of bacon lardons. Sprinkle some dried herbs and fry for a few moments.

Add 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces, and brown in the pan for a few moments. Transfer to a slow cooker and add 400g chopped tomatoes, 110ml white wine, 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon of sugar. Cook on low heat for 8 hours (or if you are pushed for time, 6 hours on medium or 4 hours on high).

Add a 400g tin of canellini beans for the last 30 minutes - crank the heat up to high as well. If it is too watery take the lid off and cook on high til it is reduced.

Serve with crusty bread, rice or pasta.

Pollo Alla Cacciatora

As you can see, it looks lovely. I just found the taste rather bland. I have a few theories:
  • I used cheap tinned tomatoes which usually doesn't make a difference but in this case I think I got what I paid for;
  •  A bit more sugar would bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes, instead they tasted quite bitter
  • The bitter taste might have also been down to the wine, perhaps adding it to the pan to cook out a bit rather than pouring into the slow cooker would work better next time
  • A splash of Worcestershire sauce, or tomato puree, might have lifted the flavour a bit
  • Ditto a sprinkling of Parmesan and some basil
Anyway, live and learn. Give it a go and see what you think - don't let my experience/lack of cooking skill put you off!

Oh, and by the way.........


Handed in this morning. Hooray!

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5 comments:

  1. Hi, if it's sweetness you think the dish is lacking then I would definitely recommend this recipe. Lovely and sweet - mainly down to the tinned cherry tomatoes i think, slightly pricier but taste divine!!! I have swapped the mascarpone for both creme fraiche and quark in the past with great success due to not liking mascarpone

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4251/chicken-cacciatore?pager.offset=180

    And as a side note I think it's great when people blog about things that fail aswell as those that succeed as it allows us all to learn from each other!

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  2. Yay! You must be so pleased!

    I would definitely cook off the wine a little bit first, also, sometimes a splash of balsamic vinegar can work wonders with a tomato sauce - kind of sweet but in a savouryish way.

    Enjoy your trip to see your family.

    Sx

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  3. YAY!!! You handed in!! Massively big shouts of joy for you!! :D xxx.

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  4. I was given a recipe for Hunter's Chicken by a chef I worked with some time ago, & it's entirely different to this!

    Basically you wrap chicken breasts in bacon, smear with barbecue sauce & sprinkle with grated cheese.
    Bake in a moderate oven 30 - 40 minutes.
    Really fast, & very tasty.

    I would like to try Nigella's though, so thanks for the tips.

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  5. Woohoo! Well done on handing your dissertation in, that's awesome! x

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Comments make me happy! I'll try my best to reply to you all :) xx