Chicken Cacciatore – Straightforward Recipe!

At a glance

What stands out: You’ll love traditional Italian chicken cacciatore with tender braised chicken thighs in a rich spicy stew of tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. It will make your house smell AMAZING!

How long it takes: 1 hour, 20 minutes, but mostly hands-off
Equipment you’ll need: oven-safe Dutch oven, tongs
Servings: 6

From-scratch Chicken Cacciatore

Italian-style comfort food. Spooned onto egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or polenta, chicken cacciatore is comfort food, compliments of Italy. Maybe all food is comfort food. We feel pretty comfortable eating most anything, how about you? Especially chicken cacciatore with noodles.

Husband-approved. As we were developing this recipe, our ex-Marine hubby, told us that chicken cacciatore was his favorite MRE, so we were hoping that this would be at least better than that. We should be able to cook a meal better than something that can withstand a parachute drop from 1,250 feet and stay edible for up to three years. (we did. He loves it. We think you will, too!)

This is a family dinner recipe but it’s reliable for entertaining, too. The ingredients are pretty simple and it’s not difficult to make.

What goes in

You’ll need a Dutch oven with a lid, or any other large pan that can go from stovetop to oven.

• Chicken Thighs: Use bone-in, skin-on for the most flavor. If you prefer white meat, that’s fine but bone-in, skin-on breasts are more flavorful. The chicken is seasoned with salt and pepper and dredged in flour before it hits the pan to brown in a little olive oil.
• Vegetables: Green and red bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, canned tomatoes, and garlic add so much goodness to this saucy dish.
• Dry White Wine: A pretty good amount of wine is added to the pan. Red wine would be acceptable as well. Use a wine that you would drink but not the most expensive wine you have. Make sure to choose a dry, not sweet, wine.
• Oregano, Thyme, Red Pepper Flakes: Fresh herbs or dried, it’s up to you. If you use fresh herbs, you’ll need to use more. The ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh = 1 teaspoon dried.

How it comes together

This is basically a stew. If you know how to make beef stew, you can handle chicken cacciatore. It just has a fancier name. Here’s how it goes:

Brown chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then coat in flour. Brown chicken thighs in a little oil.

Cook vegetables. Remove them from the pan and add sliced peppers and onions. Sauté the vegetables until they begin to get tender. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook briefly. Add the herbs and seasonings, along with the wine. Cook, deglazing the pan and reducing the wine, just a few minutes. Add a big can of tomatoes, and stir to combine.

Add chicken back to pan. Nestle the browned chicken into the sauce.

Bake. Cover the pan and bake for 45 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes. While your chicken cacciatore is baking, decide what you want to serve with it and get it going.

Recipe Tip

One of the nice things about this recipe is that a little extra time in the oven won’t matter at all. Turn the oven down a bit if it’s going to be a long while, or take the cacciatore out and keep it warm on the stovetop over low heat. It’s pretty forgiving, like most stews, which makes it reliable for busy families or for entertaining.

Ways to serve it

Sides: Chicken cacciatore is often served with mashed potatoes or polenta, similar to this Italian pot roast. Wilted greens, like spinach or Swiss chard, are a traditional side dish, too. Crusty bread is great for soaking up the flavorful juice.

Pasta: Of course, pasta or noodles are always great with a saucy dish like this. Try egg noodles, spaghetti, rotini, or another hearty pasta that will hold up well to this thick sauce. We like to use whole wheat pasta to increase the nutritional content.

Wine: There’s some debate about which wine goes best with a rich tomato sauce like this. It seems to be a matter of personal preference. Here’s what we like but feel free to experiment: Chianti, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, or Pinot Noir, and if you’re more of a white wine fan, try a dry Gewürtztraminer.

Possible Recipe Variations

• Substitute chicken breasts or use a mixture of both dark and white meat. Remove the skin if you prefer, either before browning or before serving.
• Substitute red wine instead of white wine in the sauce.
• Go fresh: Use fresh tomatoes instead of canned, or fresh herbs instead of dried.
• Make it spicy: Increase the garlic or red pepper flakes if you like it spicy.
• Add a garnish: chopped fresh parsley or Parmesan cheese.
• Not in the mood for Italian? Try slow cooker Moroccan chicken thighs with butternut squash. It’s straightforward and so good. Another favorite is one pan tarragon chicken with vegetables.

Make Ahead Ideas

Wash and slice the onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms ahead of time and refrigerate. If you’re planning on using fresh herbs, make sure they’re washed and ready.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate/freeze: Leftover chicken cacciatore can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to one month.

Reheat: To reheat, simmer over low heat in skillet until heated through. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.

Leftover Love

Chicken cacciatore, like most stews and soups, is good leftover. To make it into something just a little different, remove the chicken from the bone and shred it. Stir the meat into the sauce, mix it with cooked pasta and 1 cup shredded mozzarella (depending on how much you have leftover), and put it into a greased casserole dish. Top it with another ⅓ cup cheese and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.

Free Meal Plan

Interested in a weekly meal plan that includes this recipe? Take a look at our Meal Plan #26 or Meal Plan #99 (High Protein). You’ll find a wholesome recipe for each weekday plus a categorized grocery list. Let us do the planning for you this week!

Browse Meal PlansBrowse All →Browse All →

• Yield: 6
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 1 hour
• Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on (about 2 ½ -3 pounds)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced into ¼ -inch slices (or half of a large onion)
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored and sliced vertically into ¼ -inch slices
• 1 large green bell pepper, cored and sliced vertically into ¼ -inch slices
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced into ¼ -inch slices
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more to taste
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and then dredge chicken in flour.
3. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, if necessary, place chicken skin down in pan. Brown chicken on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side; remove to plate. If needed, pour off fat in the pan so only about 1 tablespoon remains.
4. Add onions and pepper to pan, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add mushrooms and garlic, continuing to cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add oregano, thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes.
5. Add wine to the pan and cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes, scraping up any browned bits.
6. Pour in canned tomatoes and stir to combine. Add chicken back into the pan, skin side up, without totally submerging the chicken. Place lid on the pot and carefully put it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
7. Remove lid and increase heat to 375ºF. Cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until sauce has thickened slightly.
8. Remove pan from the oven. Serve over cooked pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta, sprinkled with chopped fresh parsley.

Notes

Serving suggestions: Serve with cooked pasta or noodles, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, polenta, or crusty bread. Use whole wheat pasta if you prefer. Wilted greens, such as spinach or Swiss chard, are great, too, especially if you are looking for a low carb meal.

Make ahead ideas: Wash and slice the onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms ahead of time and refrigerate. If you’re planning on using fresh herbs, make sure they’re washed and ready.

Storage & reheating tips: Leftover chicken cacciatore can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to one month. To reheat, simmer over low heat in skillet until heated through. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating for best results.

Leftover love: To make the leftovers into something just a little different, remove the chicken from the bone and shred it. Stir the meat into the sauce, mix it with a few cups of cooked pasta (depending on how much is left over) and 1 cup shredded mozzarella, and put it into a greased casserole dish. Top it with another ⅓ cup cheese and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through.