My Easy-Peasy Hunter’s Chicken

Hazel

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Hunter’s chicken is based around an Italian dish – chicken cacciatore which has origins somewhere around the 16th century. It’s one of those classic, rustic dishes which are so simple, filling and delicious and just increase my ever-growing love for Italian cuisine. That being said, I’m fairly sure if any Italian nonna stumbles across my far-from authentic version with a sauce based mostly around tomato ketchup, I will get a hearty smack round the head! (But Nonna, it tastes so good….)

Like so many of these historic Italian based dishes (and my rather non-historic version of them) this is just good basic fill-your-belly comfort food. It’s definitely more of an autumn/winter kind of dish as it comes out of the oven like lava with bubbling sauce and cheese and is just perfect served with a dollop of creamy mash or some steamed vegetables. If you’re the spicy type, you could definitely add extra some chilli powder into the sauce to spice things up a bit but as it is it’s rich, decadent and yummy and it’s the perfect heat level for those who aren’t into really spicy food.

This is a great recipe for when the cupboards are empty too. I pretty much always have chicken breasts in the freezer as we buy them in the big bulk packs and I just portion them out into freezer bags. Similarly, as bacon always seems to be on some kind of deal, we almost always have a spare pack of bacon in there.

The sauce is literally made from store cupboard ingredients – and believe me, I hate it when TV chefs say that because it feels a bit like what YOU have in your store cupboard might be different to what I have in mine, due to the earnings gap between us! But in this case, I’d bet good money that you have the ingredients for the Hunter’s sauce lurking in the cupboards!

Now comes the part where I normally share with you my list of things to try with the recipe, so here it is – I don’t have one. No, I’m not kidding – I actually don’t. Sure, you could add some mushrooms, onion or other veggies to it but quite honestly, it’s perfect as is – sometimes simplicity is best with food – and as we all know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

So please let me know what you think of the recipe – feel free to use the comments or the Contact Me form on the site. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest and I love hearing from you! Enjoy DDx.

What’s this?
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

My Cheaty Hunter’s Chicken


  • Author: Hazel
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

Tender chicken wrapped in bacon and smothered in an easy-peasy BBQ sauce, topped with melted cheese.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 8 bacon rashers
  • 120 g gouda cheese, grated (or use cheddar)

 

For the sauce:

  • 170 ml tomato ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / fan 180°C.
  2. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 bacon rashers.
  3. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  4. Put all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  5. Remove the chicken from the oven. Carefully cover with the sauce, sprinkle over the cheese and pop it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese is meted and golden.
  6. Check that the chicken is completely cooked through and serve with some steamed vegetables, mashed potato or your choice of accompaniments.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating

Previous Recipe Next Recipe