Hearty and satisfying, Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian classic. Serve it on its own or with crusty sourdough bread, creamy polenta, rice or pasta. An easy, comforting meal the whole family with enjoy! Video. Plus 35+ Must-Try Chicken Thigh Recipes!
Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian meal made with tender falling-off-the-bone chicken braised in a flavorful, rich tomato sauce with mushrooms, olives, capers and rosemary. The flavor is tangy, rich and briny. 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 Recipe Video
Table of Contents
- Chicken Cacciatore Recipe Video
- Why you’ll love this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Cacciatore Traditional Ingredients
- How to Make Italian Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Cacciatore Recipe Tips
- How to Store Italian Chicken Cacciatore
- Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe FAQs
- What to serve with this Traditional Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- More favorite chicken thigh recipes!
- Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Why you’ll love this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore
- This recipe 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 (parted out) you will want to wait to add the breasts near the end to avoid overcooking and drying out.
- It is easy to make! Just about 30 minutes hands on time.
- Everyone loves it! Chicken Cacciatore is a dish that appeals to most people, young and old!
- It is gluten free! 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!)
Looking for more? Check out our 40+ Best Chicken Breast Recipes and our 50+ Easy Dinner Ideas! ✨
Chicken Cacciatore Traditional Ingredients
This is a very forgiving and adaptable recipe. Make it your way!
- Chicken: bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or deboned also can use breasts, legs and wings).
- Vegetables: yellow onion, garlic, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Add celery, carrots or zucchini.
- Fresh Herbs: rosemary, parsley and basil. Use fresh thyme or sage in place of rosemary.
- Spices: red pepper flakes, dried oregano.
- Wine: Use white wine instead of red or skip the wine and use 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar.
- Olives and Capers: Green, black, any combo of your favorite variety and small capers.
- Mushrooms: Add dried porcini mushrooms, or any variety of fresh forest mushrooms- chanterelles, morels, oysters to name a few.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make Italian Chicken Cacciatore
Step One– Pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper.
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.)
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.
Step Four– Lower the heat and add wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, olives, capers, salt and pepper. Stir to fully combine.
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.
TIP: Use a splatter screen while simmering as the sauce will sputter a bit.
Step Six– Stir in fresh parsley and scatter fresh basil leaves over the top.
Serve over pasta, polenta or just enjoy with a crusty loaf of bread!
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe Tips
- 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.
How to Store Italian Chicken Cacciatore
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container, or seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe FAQs
Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian chicken dish made with mushrooms and bell peppers simmered in rich, robust tomato sauce, enhanced with wine, capers and herbs. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian and this stew was 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.
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.
Polenta, pasta, rice, potatoes, and risotto.
What to serve with this Traditional Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
More favorite chicken thigh recipes!
- Coq Au Vin
- Cuban Mojo Chicken
- Berbere Chicken with Ethiopian Lentils
- Gorgonzola Chicken with Mushrooms & Sage
- Chicken Marsala
- Rosemary Chicken with Roasted Grapes and Shallots
- Chicken Katsu (or Tofu Katsu!)
- Chicken Mole
- One Skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken
- Grilled Chicken Caprese
❤️Tonia
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: main, chicken
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
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
- 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 (or skip the wine and use 2 tablespoons sherry or red wine vinegar)
- 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
- 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.)
- 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.
- Lower the heat and add wine, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, rosemary, olives, capers, salt and pepper. Stir to fully combine.
- 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.
- 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
OMG, this was fabulous! We had friends over for dinner and they all raved about this dish! Thank you for ALL the fantastic recipes you share with us, Sylvia!
So great to hear Kristin!
Soooo Good. I made it chicken legs and served it over spaghetti noodles
Sounds great Rosalinda!
Delicious!
The recipe is about as perfect as can be. I used a mix of bone-in skin-on and boneless thighs. Once cooked, I removed the skin and shredded the meat for easier serving / eating. I also added a couple stalks celery and a large carrot. I forgot to buy mushrooms so I subbed dried porcini and reduced the mushroom broth with the wine. Served over creamy polenta – so good!
Wow, love how you improvised Diane! So glad you enjoyed.
5 Star meal.
I used this recipe but modified it and used 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chilli instead of red pepper, white wine and green olives. It was absolutely delicious😋. W
Perfect Nicole- glad you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and we all found it delicious! We will make it again, for sure.
So happy you enjoyed this!
Outstanding recipie a favorite
Wonderful!
Yum, yum, yum!! Soooo cozy and satisfying. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed Gb!
Made this for dinner tonight, delicious! Left out the olives and served with orzo pasta. Just as good as my mothers. ( Sorry Mom).
Awww, thanks Sam!
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 ❣️
Thanks Kathy for recognizing this, really appreciate you being here!
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.
Great to hear Joan!
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!
Perfect Noor!
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!
Great to hear Sue. I love the red wine vinegar/pomegranate juice combo!
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.
Thanks Karen, so glad you are enjoying the site!
This was delicious. We will have it for a second night–over noodles this time.
Glad you liked this one Janet!
Very good – thank you! I love your website.
Thanks Inga- glad this worked for you!
Very good – thank you! I love your website.
So happy you enjoyed this!
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.
Forgot to give a star rating 😀
Thank you!!!
So happy to hear Mollie!
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.
Great to hear Lisa!
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!
It sounds delicious and perfect Anna!
Made it for family. Everyone liked it. I made it in my dutch oven and it worked out great.
Super Kevin! Great to hear.
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.
We are so happy you enjoyed this!
I notice that sea salt comes in different grinds – fine, kosher, etc. What specific kind of sea salt should I use?
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.
Hi there, could I use shrimp? If so, should I adapt some to add fat?
Shrimp would be great! Just use olive oil to sauté mushrooms and onions.
When would you add the shrimp?
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. 🙂
DO YOU KNOW HOW MAKE SHRIMPS AND CRABS IN JAPANESE DISHES WILL BE VERY FAMOUS IN JAPANESE NATIONS,TKS, SONIL AVINDA
No Sonil- I am sorry I am not familiar with that.
VARY ATTRACTIVE
This chicken cacciatore recipe sounds delicious. I will put it on the list for one of next week’s dinner. Thank you, Sylvia!
Great to hear!
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
Awesome Bri- let us know what you think!
EXCELLENT SYLVIA
We are so happy you enjoyed this Sonil!