Chicken Cacciatore is one of those rustic dishes that turns simple ingredients into a delicious meal!
Juicy pieces of bone-in chicken, bell peppers, mushrooms, and onions are simmered in a rich and zesty tomato sauce. I serve this saucy dish over pasta for a great meal.
Why I Love This Dish
- This hearty and rustic stew is a filling meal, it turns basic ingredients into an amazing meal.
- It’s easy to prepare, and most of the cooking time is hands-off while it slowly simmers on the stovetop.
- Since the chicken is bone-in, it comes out extra tender and flavorful.
- Adding extra veggies or sauce to serve over pasta can stretch this meal to serve a crowd.
- This chicken cacciatore recipe can be made ahead of time and freezes well.
Ingredients for Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken – For the best results, use bone-in chicken. Dark meat like chicken thighs or drumsticks won’t dry out so they are my first choice.
Vegetables – Bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic combine to make such a flavorful sauce (and are healthy too)! Add extra veggies to stretch the meal even further.
Sauce – The browned chicken is braised (or simmered) in a tomato based sauce. Italian spices like rosemary, oregano, and red pepper flakes are added with capers (or kalamata olives) to create a classic Chicken Cacciatore flavor.
Wine – Adding red wine to recipes adds a flavor that is hard to beat with other liquids. If you don’t have red, you could try dry white wine. The alcohol is burned off during cooking, but if you prefer to skip the wine, add some low-sodium chicken broth (this will change the flavor of the dish somewhat).
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
While this traditional Italian recipe takes some time to cook, it is super easy to prep:
- Season & brown the chicken (per the recipe below) in a dutch oven or deep skillet.
- Soften the veggies. Add the remaining sauce ingredients & simmer, covered.
- Add the browned chicken to the pot (skin side up) & simmer until tender and cooked through
- Stir in the capers and serve over spaghetti.
Garnish with fresh herbs like basil or parsley and parmesan cheese if you’d like.
Try These Sides with Chicken Cacciatore
Serve this dish over any kind of pasta, polenta, or even with extra veggies. Don’t forget the crusty bread for the sopping up sauce in the bowl.
Did your family love this Chicken Cacciatore? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs and/or drumsticks bone-in, skin-on, about 2lbs
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 medium yellow onion thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes do not drain
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary minced, or ¾ teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons fresh oregano minced, or ¾ teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons capers drained
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt & pepper to taste.
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a 12-inch high skillet and brown over medium-high heat about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside.
- In the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in peppers, onion, and mushrooms. Cook for about 7-8 minutes or just until the vegetables start to soften. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or just until fragrant.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes with juices, tomato sauce, red wine, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bring the mixture up to a boil and then lower the heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add browned chicken, skin side up, and simmer covered for an additional 40 minutes.
- Remove the lid and if the sauce is not thick let it simmer for a few minutes uncovered or until the sauce is thick. Remove bay leaf, stir in the capers, and serve with pasta.
Video
Notes
- Prepare recipe up to step 4.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine all ingredients in a casserole dish and bake covered for one hour.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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I loved this recipe so much!!!! so delicious!!! I added extra garlic cloves, extra oregano and wine, it was and is one of the best chicken dishes I’ve ever had, and the sauce is ridiculously good!!!!
I want to try this sauce with pork, I think it will be delicious, just like the chicken!!!!!
Followed the recipe. Chicken didn’t get done. Had to finish it in microwave. A lot of work for fair result.
I made this recipe for the first time tonight, Sunday, November 27th, 2022. I bought bone-in, skinless drumsticks and followed the recipe precisely. It was a little time-consuming, but worth every minute of prep and cook time. The flavours were full and the seasoning of the dish was delicious! I would rate this a 9/10 for future and this will be my go-to recipe for Chicken Cacciatore going forward.
DO YOU DRAIN THE DICED TOMATOES OR NO?
The tomatoes are not drained, I’ve updated the recipe to include this information.
can this be incorporated into an instant pot
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Laura. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
At what point do I add the rosemary and oregano.
Ps I love your recipes
Thanks, Troy! Glad you are enjoying them. As listed in the instructions we stir in the rosemary and oregano in step 4.
We were very happy with this recipe. We cooked on top of the stove. If you choose to cook in the oven, I would use a meat thermometer and test for doneness after 40 minutes. One hour seems long to me. Make sure they are at 180. My goofy husband forgot to add the capers and it still was tasty. No problem, we will add the capers to the leftovers for another meal this week. We served over rice and had steamed broccoli on the side. You might want to add a smidge of salt to the recipe. Dried herbs worked in this dish, just cut the amount in half. We would make this again.
Your recipes look wonderful and I can hardly wait to try them.
Thanks, Debi! We hope you enjoy them.
This chicken cacciatore recipe is fabulous! Didn’t and wouldn’t change a thing!
Glad you enjoyed it, Margie!
I’m glad we stayed in tonight because of the snowstorm & a sick dog. But it was well worth making this chicken cacciatore even though it took awhile. I put in a bit more rosemary due to the fact I had just opened a fresh bottle. The spicy richness & combination of vegetables & spices made this an excellent meal in a snowy evening! Also I have leftovers for tomorrow’s supper!
Loved this, only thing i changed was little less wine and i threw in a small can of sliced black olives
I didn’t have thighs so I used legs. I followed the instructions and it was wonderful and easy.
I plan on trying this recipe soon. It looks delicious but I do not like dark meat. Can chicken breats be used? Also, what kind of pasta do you recommend? Thank you in advance for your help.
Yes, they can. Chicken breasts can dry out easier so you’ll want to ensure they aren’t overcooked but they will work just fine in this recipe. I usually use spaghetti, but any pasta will work!