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Chicken Cacciatore is the rustic Italian hunter stew that turns simple chicken thighs into the coziest one pot dinner, and I first simmered a big dutch oven of it on a rainy Sunday when Maddie wanted something that made the whole house smell like an Italian grandma kitchen. Tender chicken, peppers, mushrooms, and a rich tomato sauce come together for a meal that tastes like it took all day, much like our marry me chicken.
It is the kind of hearty, saucy dinner that begs to be spooned over pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan and a hunk of crusty bread.
Chicken Cacciatore Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 454kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory, rich, and herby with briny olives and capers
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our marry me chicken
Quick Answer
Chicken cacciatore is a classic Italian hunter style braise made by searing chicken, then simmering it in a rich tomato sauce with onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives, and herbs. Brown the floured chicken, saute the vegetables, deglaze with white wine, then nestle the chicken back into the sauce and simmer until tender. Serve it over pasta with parmesan for a cozy, comforting dinner.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Bone in thighs stay juicy. Bone in, skinless thighs hold up to a long simmer and stay tender and flavorful instead of drying out.
- Flouring builds the sauce. A light dusting of flour helps the chicken brown and naturally thickens the tomato sauce as it simmers.
- Searing adds deep flavor. Browning the chicken first leaves flavorful bits in the pan that become the backbone of a rich, savory sauce.
- White wine brings brightness. Deglazing with dry white wine lifts all those browned bits and adds a layer of bright, complex flavor.
- Olives and capers add a briny pop. A handful of black olives and capers give cacciatore its signature salty, tangy depth.
- One pot, big payoff. Everything simmers together in a single dutch oven, so the flavors meld and cleanup stays easy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It is a true one pot dinner, so you get a rich, restaurant worthy meal with hardly any cleanup.
- It tastes even better the next day, which makes it perfect for meal prep and cozy leftovers, much like our spaghetti and meatballs.
- It is veggie packed and naturally hearty, loaded with peppers, onions, and mushrooms in every saucy bite.
Key Ingredients
Here is what gives this chicken cacciatore its rich, rustic Italian flavor. The full amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Chicken Thighs: Bone in, skinless thighs stay juicy through the long simmer and soak up all that tomato sauce.
- Crushed Tomatoes and Tomato Paste: The base of the sauce. Tomato paste deepens the color and gives it a concentrated, rich flavor.
- Mushrooms, Onion, and Green Pepper: The classic cacciatore vegetables that make the sauce hearty and full of savory flavor.
- Olives and Capers: These bring the signature briny, salty pop that sets cacciatore apart. Try them in our Italian sliders too.
- White Wine and Italian Seasoning: A splash of dry white wine and a blend of dried herbs build the deep, layered flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This chicken cacciatore is easy to adapt to whatever you have on hand. Here are a few favorite swaps.
- Add artichokes: Stir in a handful of quartered artichoke hearts with the tomatoes for a briny, Mediterranean twist.
- Use breasts or drumsticks: Boneless thighs or bone in drumsticks work too. Just adjust the simmer time so the chicken cooks through.
- Skip the wine: Swap the white wine for extra chicken stock with a splash of red wine vinegar.
- Make it spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little gentle heat.
- Serve it your way: Spoon it over pasta, polenta, mashed potatoes, or rice. It is delicious next to our pizza hut cheese sticks.
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle flour over both sides of the chicken, patting it on so it sticks.
- Heat the oil and butter in a dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until lightly golden, working in batches, then set it aside on a plate.
- Add the onion, green pepper, and mushrooms and cook for 5 to 8 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Pour in the white wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, olives, capers, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir the sauce together until everything is well combined.
- Nestle the seared chicken back into the sauce and spoon some sauce over the top.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and reaches 165 degrees. Garnish with parsley and parmesan, then serve.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Sear in batches so the chicken browns instead of steaming. A crowded pan means pale chicken and less flavor.
- Do not skip the flour. It helps the chicken brown and gives the sauce a perfect, spoonable thickness.
- Use a heavy dutch oven so the sauce simmers gently and evenly without scorching on the bottom.
- Taste and adjust at the end. The olives and capers are salty, so wait until the end to add any extra salt.
- Let it rest a few minutes before serving so the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors settle.
- Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavor only gets better.
- Freezing: Cacciatore freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently on the stove.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Chicken cacciatore is made to be spooned over something that soaks up all that rich tomato sauce. Pasta is the classic choice, but it is equally delicious over creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, or rice. Do not forget a hunk of crusty bread for mopping up the last of the sauce.
For a full Italian dinner, serve it with a batch of our pizza hut cheese sticks and a crisp side like our 5 bean salad. A simple green salad with a lemony dressing rounds it out beautifully.
Love cozy chicken dinners? Try our marry me chicken or our chicken parmesan subs next, or go all in on Italian comfort food with our spaghetti and meatballs.
Chicken Cacciatore FAQs
Bone in, skinless chicken thighs are the best choice for chicken cacciatore because they stay juicy and tender through the long simmer. You can also use drumsticks or boneless thighs, adjusting the cook time as needed.
No. The white wine adds brightness and depth to chicken cacciatore, but you can leave it out. Swap it for extra chicken stock with a splash of red wine vinegar for a similar tangy lift.
Chicken cacciatore is traditionally served over pasta, but it is also delicious over polenta, mashed potatoes, or rice. A side of crusty bread and a simple green salad make it a complete meal.
Yes, and it actually tastes even better the next day. Make chicken cacciatore up to 2 days ahead, store it in the fridge, and reheat gently on the stovetop before serving.
Absolutely. Let the chicken cacciatore cool completely, then freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat gently on the stove.
Cacciatore means hunter in Italian, so chicken cacciatore translates to hunter style chicken. It refers to a rustic dish made with ingredients a hunter might have on hand, like tomatoes, onions, herbs, and mushrooms.
Craving more cozy Italian dinners? Try our spaghetti and meatballs next for another big batch family favorite.
Serve this with a basket of warm garlic knots to soak up every last bit of the rich tomato sauce.
Serve this saucy chicken over creamy savory mashed sweet potatoes to soak up every bit of the sauce.
For another comforting one pan meal, try this rich ground beef stroganoff served over buttery egg noodles.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs skinless, bone-in
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup black pitted olives
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- fresh chopped parsley for garnish optional
- parmesan cheese for garnish optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.6 chicken thighs, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Sprinkle the flour on both sides of the chicken, patting it on to make sure it sticks.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Heat the oil and butter over medium heat in a dutch oven. Sear the chicken on both sides until lightly golden brown. Do not crowd the pan, you will need to sear in batches. Place the chicken on a plate and set aside.2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms, cook for 5-8 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.1 small onion, 1 green bell pepper, 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic
- Deglaze the pan with the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits.¾ cup dry white wine
- Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, tomato paste, olives, capers, and Italian seasoning, stir it until combined.28 ounce can crushed tomatoes with basil, ½ cup chicken stock, ¼ cup tomato paste, ½ cup black pitted olives, 2 tablespoons capers, 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- Add the chicken back into the dutch oven and cover in the sauce.
- Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes, until tender and an internal temperature reaches at least 165°F. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.
- Serve with a garnish of parsley and parmesan cheese, optional.fresh chopped parsley for garnish, parmesan cheese for garnish
Notes
- Nutritional value does not include the pasta.
- Chicken thighs are what we use and are what are common for this recipe but other chicken pieces can be used, see my tips above.
- This is one of those recipes where the sauce gets better the longer it simmers, so feel free to simmer longer.
- This can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- Great for a weeknight meal or even fancy enough for a dinner party.
- This makes a larger batch so it should be enough for a large family.
- Serve this over pasta or rice.
Nutrition
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