Meaning chicken cooked ‘hunter’s style’, this dish refers to the traditional methods by which Italian hunters would slow-roast catches in a peppy sauce of wine, garlic, herbs and those sumptuously ripe Italian tomatoes. And while nearly any meat can be cooked this way, we find there’s one beer to complement the flavours: Birra Moretti!

Serves 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Calories per serving: 673 kcal

Method

1. Heat a large saucepan or casserole dish over a medium high heat and add 3 tbsp of olive oil.
2. Add the chicken to the pan and fry on both sides for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Once done, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Turn the heat down to medium low, then add the remaining oil to the same pan, along with all of the diced vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes, stirringly regularly to ensure that they don’t stick.
4. Once the vegetables begin to turn golden brown, add the garlic and cook for a minute more. 
5. Add your chicken thighs back to the pan, along with the peeled plum tomatoes, red wine, olives, rosemary and juniper berries. Use the back of a wooden spoon to break the tomatoes, stir to combine, then cover and simmer for 40 minutes. 
6. Once done, remove the sprigs of rosemary, then use two forks to pull the chicken thighs into large chunks and stir them into the stew. Taste for seasoning, then turn the heat down to low. This is your chicken alla cacciatora. 
7. Put a large pan of water on to boil for your pasta. Once your pan of water is at a rolling boil, salt it generously and stir well. Add your pasta and cook until al dente (aim for 3-4 minutes for fresh pappardelle, or two minutes less than the packet instructions if using dried).
8. Drain the pasta, saving some of the cooking water, then add it to your pan of sauce, giving everything a good swish and tossing to ensure each strand of pasta is covered in sauce.
9. Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately. Buon appetito!