A hearty Chicken Cacciatore is the perfect Italian dish to add to your repertoire. Chicken thighs braise with mushrooms and peppers in a flavorful tomato sauce for a rustic dinner feel, until the meat is fall-apart tender, about an hour from start to finish. No olives here, just a thick, deeply savory sauce perfect for spooning over pasta, polenta, or crusty bread. I make this one on Sunday afternoons when I want the house to smell like an Italian kitchen by dinner time.
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Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Chicken cacciatore is a nostalgic dinner recipe alongside my homemade lasagna, my Nonna's classic red sauce, and my Braised Short Rib Ragu. This dish is commonly made with chicken, rabbit, or really whatever can be caught. Cacciatore translates to hunter, making this a rustic, make-it-with-what-you-have Italian classic. I'll spare you the full details, but my Nonna often made this with rabbit that she skinned and prepared all by herself. Like most of her dishes, this was a labor of love.
This recipe calls for some good old chicken thighs you can find right at the grocery store- no preparation required. I also omitted olives, which are a common ingredient, but feel free to add them. The tomato sauce is packed with sautéed mushrooms, peppers, and onions, creating a deep flavor profile that's warming and hearty. The braised chicken thighs are juicy and tender and tie this one-pot meal together beautifully.
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs. Bone-in chicken thighs are perfect for this dish because they stay tender and juicy and fall right off the bone when braised. You can also use drumsticks or a mix of both. Love rustic Italian chicken dishes? My Braised Chicken Ragu offers another comforting way to slow-cook chicken in a rich, savory sauce.
- Yellow Onion & Garlic. Give the tomato sauce a deep, savory flavor.
- Green Bell Pepper. Add an earthy flavor and crunchy texture to the sauce.
- Mushrooms. A classic ingredient that adds a rich, earthy, and umami flavor to chicken cacciatore.
- Tomato Paste. For a concentrated deep tomato flavor.
- Chicken Broth. Used as the braising liquid.
- Crushed & Diced Tomatoes. I like to use a mix of the two for texture and body.
- Italian Seasoning. I just used a dried Italian seasoning for simplicity, but you can also use a mixture of fresh herbs like basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano, and sage if you have them.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
Instructions
Brown the chicken
Season the chicken before braising by patting both sides dry and rubbing them with salt and black pepper. Add olive oil to the pan and sear over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on both sides. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the veggies
Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables for 3-4 minutes. Once the vegetables are soft, add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.
Add tomato paste
Add the tomato paste and caramelize with the vegetables for 3 minutes.
Simmer
Deglaze with chicken broth while scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once that's done, add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper and stir. Add the chicken back to the pot and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Serve
Take the cacciatore off the stove and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley. Serve over pasta, polenta, or with a crusty Italian loaf. Enjoy!
Sarah's Top Tips
- Don't rush browning the chicken. Give the thighs skin-side down for 5-7 minutes undisturbed, until they're deep golden brown, and don't move them before then. Those browned bits stuck to the pot, the fond, are where most of the deep, savory flavor in this sauce comes from. Skip this step and the sauce tastes flat no matter how long it simmers afterward. Scrape up every bit of fond when you add the broth so nothing gets left behind.
- Simmer before you reach for sugar. If the sauce tastes sharp once everything is in the pot, let it simmer uncovered for the last 10-15 minutes before adding anything. That extra time mellows the tomatoes naturally and thickens the sauce at the same time, so you fix the flavor and the texture in one step. Save the pinch of sugar or splash of cream for the rare batch that still needs it.
Slow Cooker Method
You can also make this recipe right in your slow cooker. Season and sear the chicken like normal before adding it to the slow cooker. In the same skillet, sauté onions, garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms, then deglaze with wine. Add everything to the slow cooker, along with the crushed and diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and a bay leaf. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is tender.
Serving
The traditional way to serve chicken cacciatore is with warm, crusty bread on the side for mopping up the sauce. That's how I grew up eating it, and it's still my favorite way to serve it for a casual Sunday dinner. For a heartier meal, I love spooning it over creamy Yukon gold mashed potatoes. The potatoes soak up the tomato sauce, and it's the version I make when I want the table to feel like a real cold-weather dinner.
When I want to keep things naturally gluten-free, I ladle it over soft polenta instead. It's the traditional Italian pairing for a braise like this, and I think it's just as good at catching every bit of sauce. Pasta is my go-to when I'm feeding a crowd or want to stretch the recipe further. I toss it with something sturdy like rigatoni or pappardelle so it can stand up to the chunky sauce.
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The flavors deepen overnight, so this dish actually tastes even better on day two.
Freezer: Let the cacciatore cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The sauce may separate slightly once thawed. A good stir while it reheats brings it right back together.
Reheating: On the stovetop, warm it covered over low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened up. In the microwave, heat it covered in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, until hot throughout. In the oven, cover with foil and warm at 350°F for about 20 minutes, or until heated through. However you reheat it, make sure the chicken reaches 165°F.
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Chicken Cacciatore (No Olives)
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Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, chicken thighs
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add the tomato paste to the pot and allow to caramelize for a few minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with chicken broth, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cans of tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to combine the sauce.
- Return the chicken to the pot, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Remove from heat and serve with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot over pasta, polenta, or with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- Don't skip searing the chicken. It builds the fond that gives the sauce its deep flavor, skip it and the sauce tastes flat no matter how long it simmers.
- Bone-in thighs vary in size, so don't just go by the clock. The chicken is done when it pulls easily from the bone and hits 165°F internally.
- If the sauce tastes sharp, don't reach for sugar right away. An extra 10 to 15 minutes uncovered mellows the tomatoes naturally, save the sugar or splash of cream for the rare batch that still needs it.
- Thaw frozen chicken completely first. Frozen or partially frozen thighs won't sear properly and can throw off the simmer time.
- Watching sodium? Swap in low sodium chicken broth and no-salt-added canned tomatoes, then adjust the added salt at the end to taste.
- Want more heat? Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the Italian seasoning.
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