Chicken Cacciatora with Porcini and Olives

Ingredients

• 4 pieces Bone-in chicken thighs
• 15 g Dried porcini mushrooms
• 250 ml Warm water (for soaking porcini)
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Carrot
• 3 Garlic cloves
• 250 ml Dry red wine
• 400 g Crushed tomatoes
• 60 g Taggiasca or other small black olives
• 2 sprigs Fresh rosemary
• 1 Bay leaf
• 1 tsp Salt
• 0.5 tsp Black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the dried porcini in 250 ml warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze dry, chop roughly, and reserve the soaking liquid, straining it to remove grit.

2. 2

   Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. 3

   Add the diced onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and chopped porcini and cook 2 minutes more.

4. 4

   Pour in the red wine, scraping up browned bits, and simmer 3 minutes to reduce slightly.

5. 5

   Add the crushed tomatoes, strained porcini soaking liquid, olives, rosemary, and bay leaf. Return the chicken to the pot, nestling it into the sauce.

6. 6

   Cover partially, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 45 minutes, turning the chicken halfway, until the meat is tender and nearly falling off the bone.

7. 7

   Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes to thicken the sauce if needed. Discard rosemary stems and bay leaf, adjust seasoning, and serve hot.