This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting dish the whole family with enjoy! Video. 

 Looking for more? Check out our 40+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes and our 50+ Easy Dinner Ideas! ✨ 

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting chicken dish the whole family with enjoy! Paleo & Gluten-Free.

This recipe for Chicken Cacciatore is very simple to make with huge flavor rewards!  Chicken is cooked until tender in a rich tomato sauce with red wine, mushrooms, olives, capers and rosemary.  So savory and wholesome. The best part?  This Chicken Cacciatore recipe comes together in about an hour, with only 30-minutes of hands-on time- a delicious, Italian Comfort food meal, that is easy enough for weeknights.

Chicken Cacciatore | 60-sec Video

What is Chicken Cacciatore?

Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian chicken dish made with mushrooms and bell peppers simmered in rich and robust tomato sauce, enhanced with wine, capers and herbs.

Cacciatore means hunter in Italian.  This was a stew often cooked over an open fire with whatever the hunter caught, such as rabbit, game birds, or pheasant.  All parts of the animal would be used.  Often a long cook time to tenderize the wild meat.  This is another classic  Italian dish that has a lot of variations.

Why this recipe works

I love that this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore is incredibly flexible.  Use chicken thighs, chicken breast, or even the whole bird.  Leaving the skin on can create a more tender moist meat, but really it is quite delicious with skinless chicken breast as well.  If going for the whole bird you will want to wait to add the breasts near the end to avoid overcooking and drying out.

The meat is seared in olive oil.  You can dredge in flour to help crisp up the meat, we skip this step, opting for gluten-free friendly and we didn’t miss a thing.  But feel free to do it your own way!

ingredients in chicken cacciatore

Ingredients in Chicken Cacciatore

  • Chicken: bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or deboned also can use breasts, legs and wings)
  • Vegetables: yellow onion, garlic, mushrooms, and bell pepper
  • Tomatoes:  crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
  • Fresh Herbs: rosemary, parsley and basil
  • Spices: red pepper flakes, dried oregano
  • Wine: red (or can use white)
  • Olives and Capers: green and kalamata (or any pitted olives of your choice) and small capers
  • Salt and Pepper

Ways to Adapt

This is a very forgiving and adaptable recipe.  Make it your way!

  • Wine:  Use white wine instead of red or skip the wine and use 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar.
  • Mushrooms:  Add dried porcini mushrooms, or any variety of fresh forest mushrooms- chanterelles, morels, oysters to name a few.
  • Olives:  Green, black, any combo of your favorite variety.
  • Vegetables: Add celery, carrots or zucchini.
  • Herbs:  Use fresh thyme or sage in place of rosemary.

Can this be made vegan?

Sure!  The sauce is so good that you could leave the chicken out, double up on the mushrooms and serve over roasted or grilled eggplant.

How to make Chicken Cacciatore

salting chicken breasts

Step one

Pat the chicken dry.  Season with salt and pepper.

sear chicken breast

Step two

With a high heat oil, sear chicken on high heat for 3 minutes on each side, until a golden crust forms.  Set chicken aside.

If using chicken with the skin on, it will produce more oil, you can drain oil from the pan, if needed, leave about a tablespoon or two in the pan.

sautéing onions, garlic, mushrooms, peppers

Step three

In the same pan, sauté onions, mushrooms in olive oil (or use leftover chicken oil) for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Add garlic, bell pepper and red pepper flakes, saute for 1 minute more.

sautéing all veggies together

Step four

Lower the heat and add wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, olives, capers, salt and pepper.  Stir to fully combine.
add tomatoes, wine, herbs, olives, capers

Step five

Place seared chicken in the sauce.  Simmer 15 minutes, uncovered.

Test the internal temperature of the chicken, we are going for 165F.  Simmer longer if needed.  Bone-in thighs may take up to 35 minutes.  The chicken breast will cook faster, 15-20 minutes.

Expert Tips

Use a splatter screen while simmering as the sauce will sputter a bit.

simmering chicken in the sauce

Step six

Stir in fresh parsley and scatter fresh basil leaves over the top.

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting meal the whole family with enjoy! Gluten-Free.

Serve over pasta, polenta or just enjoy with a crusty loaf of bread!

What to serve with Chicken Cacciatore:

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting meal the whole family with enjoy! Gluten-Free.

More recipes you may enjoy

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting meal the whole family with enjoy! Gluten-Free.

❤️Tonia

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Healthy and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore served over creamy polenta is a rustic Italian classic. Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta, rice or pasta.  An easy comforting dish the whole family with enjoy! Gluten-Free.

Chicken Cacciatore

★★★★★ 5 from 20 reviews
  • Author: Tonia | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
  • Category: main, chicken
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic.  Serve on its own with crusty sourdough, pair with creamy polenta or over your favorite pasta.  An easy comforting, meal the whole family with enjoy!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 4 large chicken breasts, or whole chicken parts: legs, wings, breast, and thighs, feel free to use skinless.)
  • 1 yellow onion, sliced in half-moon slices with the grain
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin
  • 6 cloves garlic (about 1/2 of a medium garlic head), coarsely chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, cut in approximate 2-inch strips
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 cup mixed pitted green olives and kalamata (swap out with your favorite kinds
  • 1 teaspoon capers, unrinsed
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, roughly chopped
  • a few fresh basil leaves

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken dry.  Season with salt and pepper.  With a tablespoon of olive oil sear chicken on medium high heat 3 minutes each side, until a gold crust forms.  Set chicken aside.  (If using  chicken with the skin on, it will produce more oil, you can drain oil from pan, if needed, leave about a tablespoon or two in the pan.)
  2. In the same pan, sauté onions, mushrooms in olive oil (or use left over chicken oil) for 3 minutes over medium heat.  Add garlic, bell pepper and red pepper flakes, saute for 1 minute more.
  3. Lower the heat and add wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, olives, capers, salt and pepper.  Stir to fully combine.
  4. Place seared chicken in the sauce.  Simmer 25 minutes. Leave uncovered, though splatter screen is nice as it will sputter a bit.  Test the internal temperature of the chicken, we are going for 165F.  Simmer longer if needed.  Bone-in thighs may take up to 35 minutes.  Chicken breast will cook faster, 15-20 minutes.
  5. Stir in fresh parsley and scatter fresh basil leaves over the top.  Serve over pasta, creamy polenta or just enjoy with a crusty loaf of bread!

Notes

Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3 days.

Use chicken thighs, breast, or even the whole bird.  Leaving the skin on can create a more tender moist meat, but really it is quite delicious with skinless chicken breast as well.  If going for the whole bird you will want to wait to add the breasts near the end to avoid overcooking and drying out.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 472
  • Sugar: 9.7 g
  • Sodium: 697.6 mg
  • Fat: 26.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 18.4 g
  • Fiber: 4.6 g
  • Protein: 41.6 g
  • Cholesterol: 167.9 mg

Keywords: chicken cacciatore, chicken cacciatore recipe,

⭐️ RATE THE RECIPE!

Your feedback is valuable- it helps us fine-tune the recipes and ultimately make them more successful.  Please leave your comments and ratings below, sharing any suggestions or adaptions for other readers. Have questions? We personally respond within 24 hours.  Thanks, this is the BEST way to show your support. 💛

Share this with the world

Pin

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Comments

  4. Made this for dinner tonight, delicious! Left out the olives and served with orzo pasta. Just as good as my mothers. ( Sorry Mom).

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. I’m actually excited to have found you and your recipes! Your realistic approach and clean recipes (including this one) are a comfort to my soul and a drive to do things in a healthy and delicious way. No push, no doctrine, just healthy with personal choices ❣️

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  6. This was the best Chicken Cacciatore ever. Instead of the red wine I used Marsala, left out the peppers and served it over Gnocchi. My Grandmother use to put olives in her dish and it reminded me of her.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  7. Delicious dinner! Used breasts that I halved length and breadth wise. I always grind the onion and garlic fine as picky eaters in my house don’t like onion chunks.Did not have rosemary but the flavors didn’t suffer as I added Italian spice mix instead. Served over polenta.
    Yummy!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  8. Second time making this recipe-it is wonderful. I subbed red wine vinegar/pomegranate juice combo for red wine and doubled the veggies but other than that, followed the recipe exactly. Delicious! Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. I am excited to make this tonight. I have been following and making your recipes for over 2 years. I tell everyone who loves to cook about your site. I have never made anything that was not delicious. I Mainly stick to cooking and not baking.

    Reply

  13. Another home run. Excellent recipe! I always come to your site first for inspiration and guidance in cooking. Thank you so much for your blog and postings! Can’t express how much fun I have cooking your recipes and creating meals from scratch.

    Reply

  14. Absolutely delicious and easy. I do need to purchase a splatter lid though!
    Have enough leftovers for probably 2 more meals which I love, especially during the week.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  15. Made this last night and served it over a bed of roasted broccoli and ancini di pepe pasta. Delicious! We had a lot of leftovers, so I shredded the chicken, then mixed it (along with the leftover pasta and broccoli) back in to the pot. Will top with mozzarella and warm it in the oven as a casserole for dinner tonight! A bit weird but I know it’s going to be delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. Made this tonight and served it with the cauliflower rice. This recipe is so much more than the sum of its parts. True comfort food.

    The only thing I would do differently is spoon up a little more sauce. The cauliflower soaked it up more than expected. Super meal. Thank you.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  18. I notice that sea salt comes in different grinds – fine, kosher, etc. What specific kind of sea salt should I use?

    Reply

    1. Usually sea salt is more of a medium grind unless it says fine grind. I like Himalayan salt, but you could opt for kosher salt, Celtic, Italian, Fleur de Sel, experiment and see what you like!
      Table salt is much saltier and you will use about 1/4th less then the sea salt amount.

      Reply

        1. I would sauté the shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 4-5 minutes (depending on there size) and set aside. Simmer the sauce for 15-20 minutes add the shrimp and cook just a minute to warm. 🙂

          Reply

      2. DO YOU KNOW HOW MAKE SHRIMPS AND CRABS IN JAPANESE DISHES WILL BE VERY FAMOUS IN JAPANESE NATIONS,TKS, SONIL AVINDA

        ★★★★★

        Reply

  20. This chicken cacciatore recipe sounds delicious. I will put it on the list for one of next week’s dinner. Thank you, Sylvia!

    Reply

  21. OMGosh, haven’t thought about this recipe in years! Meat+wine braises are some of my favorite cozy cold weather dishes–can’t think how I forgot about this, but thanks for the inspiration. My mom’s version lacked red pepper flakes and olives, so I am keen to try yours. Canadian March is still more winter than spring, and this is just what I need this week. thx

    ★★★★★

    Reply

Originally Posted

Last Updated

Categories

Hi, I'm Tonia!

Learn more
Subscribe
to get recipes via email