Pollo alla Cacciatora in Crosta di Sale

Ingredients

• 1 small (about 1.5 kg) whole chicken
• 1.5 kg coarse sea salt
• 3 egg whites
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 fresh sage leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 anchovy fillets
• 60 ml red wine vinegar
• 120 ml dry white wine
• 120 ml chicken stock
• 150 g cherry tomatoes(optional)
• 1 lemon(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep (15 min): Pat the chicken dry. Rub the cavity with half the olive oil, season inside with black pepper, and stuff with 1 rosemary sprig, 3 sage leaves, and half a lemon if using. Truss the legs.

2. 2

   Make the salt crust (10 min): Whisk egg whites until frothy. In a large bowl, mix salt with remaining rosemary and sage, finely chopped. Add egg whites gradually until the mixture holds together like wet sand.

3. 3

   Encase the chicken (10 min): On a lined baking sheet, spread a 1 cm bed of the salt mixture. Place the chicken on top and pack the remaining salt over and around it, sealing completely and leaving no cracks.

4. 4

   Roast (70 min): Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 60–70 minutes, until the crust is hard and pale gold and the internal temperature at the thigh reads 74°C (165°F). Rest the chicken, still in its crust, for 15 minutes.

5. 5

   Start the cacciatora sauce (15 min, while chicken rests): Heat remaining olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté sliced garlic and anchovy fillets, mashing until the anchovy dissolves. Add cherry tomatoes if using, then deglaze with white wine; reduce by half.

6. 6

   Finish the sauce (5 min): Add vinegar and chicken stock, simmer 3–4 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened. Season with pepper only — no added salt needed.

7. 7

   Serve (5 min): Crack open the salt crust with the back of a spoon, peel it away, and brush off excess salt. Carve the chicken, drizzle with the warm cacciatora reduction, and serve immediately.