Lucy M. This chicken cacciatore Mary Berry recipe represents Italian home cooking at its finest – robust, flavourful, and remarkably forgiving. Having worked in Italian kitchens and British ones alike, I can tell you that Mary’s interpretation strikes the perfect balance between authenticity and accessibility. The technique is classic cacciatore: browning the chicken to develop flavour, building a sauce base with aromatics, then allowing everything to braise gently until the meat is tender and the sauce has concentrated beautifully.
What sets Mary’s version apart is her practical approach to timing and her clever use of readily available British ingredients without compromising the dish’s essential character. It’s proper cooking that delivers restaurant-quality results every single time.
Why You’ll Love this Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore
Mary Berry’s chicken cacciatore is proper comfort food that never lets you down. It’s a brilliant one-pot wonder, which means less washing up and more time enjoying your meal. The flavours are absolutely gorgeous – rich tomato sauce infused with wine, herbs, and those lovely caramelized vegetables create something truly special.
What I adore most is how forgiving it is; even novice cooks can nail this recipe because Mary’s method is so straightforward. The chicken emerges meltingly tender, practically falling off the bone, whilst your kitchen fills with the most incredible Italian aromas. It’s also perfect for feeding a crowd or batch cooking for the week ahead, and honestly, it tastes even better the next day once those flavours have had time to mingle.
What Ingredients are in Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore?
This classic Italian-inspired dish requires a carefully balanced collection of ingredients that work together to create layers of deep, savory flavor. The combination of tender chicken, aromatic vegetables, and a rich tomato-based sauce infused with wine creates the foundation of this beloved recipe. Each component plays an important role in developing the complexity that makes this dish so satisfying and restaurant-quality in taste.
Ingredients:
- 8 small chicken portions (4 legs and 4 breasts or 8 thighs)
- All-purpose flour for dusting
- Salt and black pepper
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 ounces (90g) thick-cut bacon or pancetta, cut into strips
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 ounces (250g) mushrooms, quartered
- ½ cup red or white wine
- 1 × 14-ounce (400g) can chopped tomatoes
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons capers, chopped
- Fresh sage leaves for garnish
How to Make this Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore
- Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat the chicken pieces lightly in seasoned flour (salt and pepper), then tap off any extra.
- Warm half the oil in a large frying pan and add the bacon or pancetta along with the chicken. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning until golden brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer everything to a Dutch oven, then drain the fat from the pan.
- Add the remaining oil to the same pan and sauté the onion, green bell pepper, and half the garlic for 5 minutes until softened but not colored. Transfer to the Dutch oven using a slotted spoon. Toss in the mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes, then add them to the pot as well.
- Pour the wine into the pan and let it bubble until reduced to roughly ¼ cup. Add this to the pot along with the tomatoes, tomato paste, and sage. Cover and bake for 45 minutes until the chicken is fork-tender.
- Mix the remaining garlic with parsley, lemon zest, and capers. Stir this mixture into the pot and adjust seasoning. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, garnished with fresh sage leaves.
Mary Berry’s Rustic Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat the chicken pieces lightly in seasoned flour (salt and pepper), then tap off any extra.
- Warm half the oil in a large frying pan and add the bacon or pancetta along with the chicken. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning until golden brown on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer everything to a Dutch oven, then drain the fat from the pan.
- Add the remaining oil to the same pan and sauté the onion, green bell pepper, and half the garlic for 5 minutes until softened but not colored. Transfer to the Dutch oven using a slotted spoon. Toss in the mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes, then add them to the pot as well.
- Pour the wine into the pan and let it bubble until reduced to roughly ¼ cup. Add this to the pot along with the tomatoes, tomato paste, and sage. Cover and bake for 45 minutes until the chicken is fork-tender.
- Mix the remaining garlic with parsley, lemon zest, and capers. Stir this mixture into the pot and adjust seasoning. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, garnished with fresh sage leaves.
If you’re after another stunning chicken dish with bold Mediterranean flavours, my Provençal style roasted chicken recipe delivers crispy skin and herb-infused meat that’s equally impressive.
Why Does My Chicken Cacciatore Taste Bland?
Right, if your chicken cacciatore’s coming out a bit lifeless, there are usually a few culprits. First, you’ve likely not seasoned enough – this dish needs proper salt at multiple stages, not just at the end.
Second, are you browning the chicken properly? That caramelization adds crucial depth.
Third, cheap tinned tomatoes make a world of difference – invest in decent Italian ones.
Finally, don’t skimp on the wine and herbs; they’re not optional, they’re essential for building those layers of flavour that make cacciatore sing.
Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore Substitutions and Variations
Since chicken cacciatore‘s beauty lies in its flexibility, you’ve got plenty of room to make this dish work for your kitchen and taste buds. Don’t have fresh sage? Dried oregano or thyme swap in beautifully. Prefer your mushrooms whole instead of quartered? Go for it.
Wine-free zone? Substitute with chicken broth or skip it entirely. Capers not your thing? Swap them for olives, which add similar briny punch. If you’re cooking for vegetarians, hearty vegetables like eggplant or zucchini replace the chicken entirely.
Pancetta hard to find? Regular bacon works just fine. The key here’s keeping that rich tomato sauce intact while adjusting proteins and vegetables to match what you’ve actually got on hand.
What to Serve with Mary Berry Chicken Cacciatore
Pairing the right sides with this rustic Italian braise can really round out your meal, transforming a single dish into something that feels like a proper dinner spread. I’d serve it over creamy polenta or soft egg noodles that’ll soak up all those rich tomato juices.
Crusty bread is non-negotiable for mopping up every last bit of sauce. A simple green salad with lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness beautifully, offering brightness without competing with the chicken’s deep flavors. For something heartier, roasted potatoes work wonderfully alongside it.
The key’s choosing something that complements rather than distracts from Mary’s perfectly balanced sauce with its capers and sage. Keep it straightforward, let the cacciatore shine.
Final Thoughts
Three things’ll stick with you after making Mary Berry’s chicken cacciatore: first, how ridiculously simple it is to pull together something that tastes like you’ve been simmering it all day, second, how those capers and sage do the heavy lifting in the flavor department, and third, why this dish has stuck around in Italian cooking for centuries. You’re basically browning chicken, sautéing some vegetables, then letting tomatoes and wine do the work while you relax. No complicated techniques, no obscure ingredients. Just honest cooking that delivers serious flavor without the fuss. This recipe proves that the best meals don’t require fancy methods or endless prep time. They require good instincts, quality components, and patience. That’s the Mary Berry way.
