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Home » Recipes » Chicken Recipes

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Published: Feb 25, 2022 · Modified: Dec 20, 2024 by Chef Dennis Littley

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When it comes to pure comfort food, Chicken Cacciatore is a Classic Italian dish with a rich and rustic sauce. Made with chicken and San Marzano tomatoes, this flavorful caciatore sauce is loaded with olives, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and celery, making this easy recipe the perfect family dinner.

Overhead shot of the chicken cacciatore recipe served over pasta in a white bowl.


 

Whether you make my Chicken Cacciatore Recipe with a whole cut-up chicken or chicken thighs and legs, this fall-off-the-bone delicious chicken is going to become one of your favorite recipes!

These are two of my favorite chicken recipes: Chicken Pepperoni and Creamy Tuscan Chicken.

In Italian, cacciatore translates to the hunter, and all cacciatora translates to hunter-style.

Table of Contents:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
  • Do I have to use a Dutch oven?
  • How do I make it in an Instant Pot?
  • Do I have to use mushrooms in this dish?
  • Recipe FAQs
  • More Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredients required to make recipe.

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Chicken Cacciatore. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Made with simple pantry ingredients and fresh vegetables

  • fresh chicken
  • San Marzano tomatoes (or crushed tomatoes)
  • tomato paste
  • red wine
  • black olives (kalamata)
  • garlic
  • celery
  • carrots
  • onions
  • mushrooms
  • fresh basil
  • fresh thyme
  • Italian parsley

*Fresh chopped oregano can be added, and if you have a parmesan rind on hand, add that to the sauce while is simmers. Red bell peppers or green peppers may also be added.

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore

chicken pieces seasoned with salt and pepper on a baking sheet.

The first step is breaking down the whole chicken into pieces. You can use kitchen shears or a sharp knife to do this. Notice that I include the back, which usually would be discarded. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season liberally with salt and black pepper.

There’s a lot of flavor in that piece of chicken, so we’re going to include it in the pot but not serve it to our guests.

Do I have to use a whole chicken to make this dish?

No, you don’t. In fact, I prefer dark meat when making this type of braised chicken dish and will often use thighs and legs, excluding the breasts when making this type of chicken dish.

Can I use boneless chicken to make this dish?

Yes, you can. But truthfully, it won’t be as flavorful. The bones do add a good amount of flavor to the dish. But if you want to use boneless chicken, I would stay with boneless skinless thighs. They will have the most flavor and not dry out as much as boneless chicken breasts.

Seared chicken pieces on a baking sheet.

After preparing the chicken, the next step is searing those pieces starting skin side down over medium-high heat until they get a nice golden brown color.

I wish the chicken would stay that crispy, but after cooking with the cacciatore sauce, you’ll hardly recognize that beautiful crispy chicken skin. But it is an important step, so don’t skip it.

Collage of steps showing how to make recipe.
  • Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms to the Dutch oven (or large skillet) and cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium.
  • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and stir to get all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan. (traditionally, red wine is used, but you can substitute a dry white wine.)
  • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, thyme, salt, and black pepper to the pot. Stir until well mixed. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Add the browned chicken back into the Dutch oven, immersing the chicken in the sauce. Cover the Dutch oven with a lid and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Do I have to use a Dutch oven?

Chicken cacciatore can be made in a large skillet if you don’t have a Dutch oven. If you don’t have a lid for the skillet, use aluminum foil to keep the pot covered.

How do I make it in an Instant Pot?

It’s easy to make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore, and the instructions aren’t that much different. Sear the chicken as outlined in the recipe and follow the steps until it’s time to let the chicken simmer. Use the directions below to finish the chicken in your instant pot.

  • Close the lid, and set the valve to the “sealing” position, if your model doesn’t do this on its own. Make sure your Instant Pot is set to cook at high pressure.
  • Press the “manual” or “pressure cook” button and set the timer to 12 minutes. The Instant Pot will beep after a few seconds and it will start building up pressure. This can take 5 to 8 minutes, so be patient.
  • Once the cooking cycle is done, press the “cancel/off” button. Let the Instant Pot release pressure on its own. Do Not Touch the Pressure Valve.
  • When the pressure valve pin is down, carefully open the lid, making sure its away from your face. Stir in the olives, basil, and parsley, then let the pot sit for 5 minutes before serving.

You can also use your slow cooker to make this dish.

Do I have to use mushrooms in this dish?

No, you don’t. I love mushrooms; they add an earthy flavor and help fill out the dish, but if you’re not fond of mushrooms, feel free to leave them out.

Close up of chicken cacciatore over linguine in a white bowl.

There are many variations of this delicious Italian chicken dish. Feel free to adapt it with your favorite seasonings and veggies. But any way you make it, you’re going to love this slow-cooked chicken cacciatore with its tender chicken pieces and delicious sauce. It’s an easy recipe you’ll turn to time and time again.

I like to serve chicken cacciatore with grated Romano or parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper, and crusty bread.

Recipe FAQs

Why is my chicken cacciatore watery?

If your cacciatore is watery, you can thicken it by adding tomato paste to the sauce. Mix it with some of the sauce from the pot and stir the mixture back into the cacciatore.

Is Chicken Cacciatore an Italian Dish?

Cacciatore (hunter-style) originated in central Italy during the time of the Renaissance. Originally made with rabbit or small game birds, the original recipe didn’t include tomatoes and was made with wild mushrooms and available root vegetables and local herbs.

What is chicken cacciatore served with?

Cacciatore is best served with rustic bread, polenta, pasta, risotto or rice.

More Recipes You’ll Love!

  • chicken chasseur on a white plate
    Chicken Chasseur Recipe (Hunters Chicken)
  • creamy tuscan chicken on a white plate
    Creamy Tuscan Chicken
  • close up of chicken saltimbocca on a white plate
    Chicken Saltimbocca Recipe
  • overhead view of chicken pepperoni on a white plate
    Chicken Pepperoni with Linguine

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overhead partial view of chicken cacciatore over linguine in a white bowl

Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

When it comes to comfort food my Dutch Oven Chicken Cacciatore is sure to please! It's easy to make and easily adjustable, to your taste preferences. And it's guarunteed to bring smiles to your dinner table!
5 from 87 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine Italian, Italian – American
Servings 6
Calories 472 kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven

Ingredients
 
 

Chicken

  • 3.5 lb whole chicken cut up into parts
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

Cacciatore Sauce

  • olive oil if needed add additional olive oil to the dutch oven to saute the vegetables
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 3 ribs celery chopped
  • 2 medium carrots- peeled chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 cup mushrooms sliced in half
  • 1 cup dry red wine or dry white wine
  • 56 oz whole peeled tomatoes crushed by hand, immersion blender or blender
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon basil finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon thyme finely chopped
  • 1½ teaspoon sea salt to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper to taste

Finish

  • 4 ounces kalamata olives regular black olives or green olives can be substituted
  • 1 teaspoon Italian parsley finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon basil finely chopped

Instructions
 

Chicken

  • Season the cut-up chicken with sea salt and pepper.
  • In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat add the seasoned chicken and sear the pieces on both sides for 4-5 minutes.
    *Do this in batches if you can't lay all the pieces flat to sear them at one time.
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside until needed.

Cacciatore Sauce

  • Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium.
    *If needed add additional olive oil to the dutch oven to saute the vegetables
  • Deglaze the pan with the red wine and stir to get all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.
  • Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, basil, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Stir until well mixed. Bring the mixture to a low boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Add the browned chicken back into the dutch oven, immersing the chicken in the sauce. Cover the dutch oven with a lid and allow to simmer for 1 hour.

Finish

  • After simmering the chicken, remove the lid and add in the olives, a little more fresh parsley, and basil, and reseason with salt and pepper as needed.
    Simmer for an additional fifteen minutes.
    *Don't serve the chicken back to guests, but feel free to pick the meat from the back and enjoy it while you wait to serve your guests!
  • Remove the chicken from the pot and stir the sauce well, mixing in any oil that has separated from the sauce. You can remove the fat if you like, but there is a lot of flavor in it.
    If the sauce is too thin you can continue to cook it over medium-high heat to let it reduce. Placing the chicken back into the sauce for a quick reheat before serving.
    *If you leave the chicken in the sauce too long it will completely fall apart, which is why you remove it before reducing the sauce.
  • Serve over linguine, rice, risotto, farro or your pasta or grain and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 29gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 1392mgPotassium: 1251mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 4506IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 144mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 87 votes (69 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Lana says

    January 09, 2025 at 8:47 pm

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was fabulous for dinner on a cold, winter night. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      January 10, 2025 at 7:25 am

      Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my Chicken Cacciatore, its definitely comfort food on a cold winters night.

      Reply
  2. Michael Lagana says

    December 22, 2024 at 12:52 am

    5 stars
    It tastes good

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      December 22, 2024 at 7:28 am

      Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Darlene says

    April 04, 2024 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    Looked up a recipe for chicken and found you! This was the 3rd recipe of yours I looked at and decided I just had to choose one! Absolutely delicious! Have signed up and will be trying a few more. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      April 05, 2024 at 8:10 am

      Thanks for finding me and I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed my chicken cacciatore recipe!

      Reply
  4. George Moy says

    October 08, 2023 at 11:39 am

    Can you make chicken cacciatore a little more simpler way?Like using popcorn chicken,chicken nuggets, or patties (frozen grocery stores brought)to make it a faster weeknight meal or anytime meal without the fuss?

    Reply
    • Chef Dennis Littley says

      October 08, 2023 at 12:52 pm

      You can make it using whatever ingredients you like. Use the recipe as a base and go from there.

      Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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