Chicken Cacciatore is rustic dish that turns simple ingredients into a fabulous meal.
In this easy one pan recipe, chicken is cooked in a savory tomato sauce with peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Perfect over pasta or with a loaf of bread.
This Is The Best Chicken Cacciatore Because…
- The method and ingredients are simple but the flavor is rich and delicious.
- Braising chicken (browning and then cooking in liquid) makes it really tender.
- The sauce is has a robust roasted flavor with lots of vegetables and sauce.
- Chicken cacciatore can be served on its own or spooned over buttered noodles, rice, polenta, or even zucchini noodles.
Ingredients for Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken: Use bone-in skin on chicken for the best results. I prefer dark meat (thighs and drumsticks) but split chicken breasts can also be used. If using breasts, ensure they don’t overcook.
Vegetables: Rustic veggies like onions, peppers, and mushrooms add earthy flavor and are great in this sauce. You can add extra vegetables in your crisper if you’d like.
Sauce: Chicken cacciatore has a rich tomato sauce with herbs and tangy capers. Kalamata olives can replace the capers if desired.
Wine: Cooking with red wine adds depth of flavor to the sauce. Use any inexpensive red wine or wine you’d like to drink. Cooking wine is not recommended and if you can’t use wine, beef broth can be used in place.
Variations
- Make your own Italian seasoning and use it in dozens of other recipes.
- Stir in fresh spinach before serving
- Make Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore.
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Season and brown chicken per recipe below. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Saute vegetables, add remaining sauce ingredients, and bring to a simmer.
- Return chicken to the skillet, cover, and simmer until sauce is thickened.
- Remove bay leaf and stir in capers.
Storing Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken cacciatore can be made up to a day ahead and reheated in a Crockpot for busy weeknight dinners.
- Keep leftover chicken cacciatore covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Freeze chicken and sauce together in zippered bags for up to one month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this chicken cacciatore recipe with spaghetti, a bowl of creamy 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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
- 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 with juices
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- ½ cup dry red wine or beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon dried oregano or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons capers drained, or kalamata olives
- shredded Parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
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Generously season the chicken with salt & pepper.
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In a deep 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
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In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the diced bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
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Add the red wine and let simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, bay leaf, rosemary, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
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Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20 minutes.
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Add the browned chicken, skin side up on top of the sauce. Cover and gently simmer for an additional 40 minutes.
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Remove the lid and if the sauce is not thick enough, let it simmer uncovered for a few minutes until it thickens.
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Remove the bay leaf, stir in the capers, and serve the Chicken Cacciatore with pasta. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Video
Notes
- Prepare the 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, Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
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Made this yesterday and it came out really good…one thing is I couldn’t find capers so I left those out, but the dish was fantastic and I have plenty of leftovers
can you use vegetable oil or butter instead of the olive oil? :
Yes Rachel, you can use vegetable oil or butter in place of olive oil to brown the meat and veggies. Let us know how it turns out for you!
This recipe is excellent, and I did tweak it a bit to finish off some leftover carrots, celery, chicken breasts and a jar of sliced kalamata olives. While I made some changes, I tried to stay very close to the original recipe, and I have made enough SWP recipes to wholeheartedly recommend this recipe. The only minor adjustment I might suggest is that you may need to reduce the liquid from the diced tomatoes, if you prefer a thicker sauce. Or as suggested in the recipe you can simmer the dish uncovered to reduce the mixture. Total keeper!!!
Thank you for the tip, Paul! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Que recetas más estupendas, gracias por compartir
Thank you, Holly! I followed this recipe to the letter (except for the capers as I didn’t have any). The result was wonderful! Hubby and I thoroughly enjoyed this meal and found that, using 1 pound of farfalle for the pasta, it made enough for us for 4 whole meals. Again, thank you for sharing (love this website!)
So happy to hear that, Cher! Glad you enjoyed it.
OMG! This was outstanding! I don’t normally like anything made with diced tomatoes but I couldn’t get enough of this. Definitely a keeper!
I’m wanting to try the recipe but have a question. Can I use boneless thighs? I truly do not like trying to eat a bone in chicken piece with all of the sauce.
Hi Susan, I haven’t tried it but I think it should work just fine. Brown them for a couple of minutes however the cook time should be reduced (I’d estimate about 15-20 minutes instead of 40). Let us know how it goes!
Susan, the bone is easy to remove before cooking. That way you still have the skin to get a crispy bake on it.
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.
JudyJ, This reply is being done on behalf of everyone else and the author who are too polite to address you. OMG, did you just do a Karen because you don’t understand the simple concept of cooking a dish till it’s done? Different cooktops will cook differently. Put your big girl panties on and consider cooking the food till it’s done, even if it means you have to open the lid and check for doneness! If computers had slap-o-vision I would have mine reach out and backhand you for being a whiney Karen. Don’t post evidence of your ineptitude at cooking. Aside from the Karen issue that JudyJ has, the recipe is delicious and thanks to Holly for sharing it!
Dale no need to be so rude. Perhaps she is new to cooking. Please show some grace instead of persecution.
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!
JudyJ, OMG!! I will tell you something that others won’t say out of politeness. When cooking you need to take some responsibility and understand that different cooktops work differently. If you see that your chicken is not done yet put your big girl panties on and step up to the plate and cook it a bit longer! Aside from that crap, recipe was delicious, thanks Holly!