5-Ingredient Chicken Cacciatore

At the moment I’m finding myself turning to dishes like this that you can just pop in the oven and practically let dinner ‘cook itself’. I’m especially fond of chicken drumsticks because they’re super economical plus you get all those lovely bones to gnaw on. The other thing I love about this dish is the way the olives bring an exotic complexity to such a simple lineup of ingredients.

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5-Ingredient Chicken Cacciatore

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken drumsticks
• 1.5 cups tomato passata / puree
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 handful black olives
• 2 medium zucchini (courgette)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 200C (400F). Place chicken, tomato and butter in an ovenproof dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
• Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
• Remove the foil, turn the chicken, add the olives and bake uncovered for another 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Taste and add extra salt if needed (the olives will bring some so you may not need it).
• While the chicken is cooking slice the zucchini into ribbons using a vegetable peeler, mandoline or spiralizer. Season with salt and allow the ‘noodles’ to stand at room temp to warm up and soften slightly.
• To serve divide zucchini noodles between 2 plates and top with chicken, olives and sauce.

Variations

vegetarian – replace chicken with large mushrooms, chickpeas or eggplant and serve with some shaved parmesan or crumbled feta for some extra protein.

carnivore – these flavours are also lovely with lamb shanks, beef short ribs or osso buco but you’ll need to cook covered for 4-6 hours at 150C (300F). Uncover and add the olives for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with hot buttered toast, pasta or egg noodles (and skip the zucchini if you like), or add small scrubbed potatoes with the chicken.

more substantial (low carb) – extra almonds, or add some feta or parmesan.

more veg – add sliced fennel, chopped onions, garlic, carrots and/or red capsicum (bell peppers) to the sauce before cooking. Serve with chopped parsley or basil on top. And add a green salad on the side.

paleo / dairy-free – replace butter with coconut oil or olive oil.

bone free – If you don’t share my love of bones, use chicken thigh or breast fillets. You’ll need to reduce the cooking time to about 30 minutes or so depending on their size.

other chicken – also feel free to use a whole chicken chopped into 8 pieces instead of the drumsticks. Or chicken thighs on the bone or chicken marylands (thighs + drumsticks).

tomato-free – replace tomato passata (puree) with chicken stock and add a halved lemon to cook in with the chicken. Squeeze lemon juice into the sauce before serving.

short on time – use boneless chicken thigh or breast fillets and cook 250C (480F) covered for 15 minutes. Then uncover and cook another 5-10 mins or until chicken cooked through.

keto / ultra low carb – replace half the tomato with water or chicken stock.

slow cooker – If you have time you could brown the chicken in the oven first – so put the chicken in the slow cooker insert and pop the insert in a cold oven then turn on to 180C (350F) and just cook for 30 minutes uncovered. Then carefully move the hot insert into the slow cooker and add the butter and tomato. But if you don’t want to use the oven just put everything in the slow cooker insert and cook on low for 11-12 hours or high for about 6. And reduce the tomato passata to 1 cup. And add 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce to boost the complex flavours. And if you’re happy to add another ingredient some very finely chopped onion will be good.

Problem Solving Guide

bland – salt and / or a little hot sauce or chilli oil or some fresh or dried chilli peppers. Next time use a different chicken supplier.

too dry – over cooked chicken! Next time check earlier. For now a drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil or a dollop of mayo can help.

no oven – simmer the chicken and tomato and butter on a medium heat uncovered for about 15-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced.

too tart – next time try a different brand of tomato. For now balance the acidity with a little more butter or some extra virgin olive oil.

no vegetable peeler / mandoline / spiralizer – just chop the zucchini into fine rounds using your knife.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

chicken drumsticks – freeze them.

tomato passata – keep it in the pantry.

butter – will keep in the fridge for weeks.

black olives – keeps in the fridge for weeks.

zucchini – will keep for 2 weeks or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep it even longer, cook sliced zucchini in a little butter until just soft then store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Prepare Ahead

Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the zucchini and olives separately. Will keep in the fridge for 1 week or can be frozen. To serve, warm in the oven for 10-15 minutes and serve with olives and zucchini.