This Chicken Cacciatore is a meal to make when you are looking to impress. It comes together with an earthy sauce and the most perfectly moist chicken. No matter who you serve this to, they will love it.
If you love easy stovetop meals as much as we do, you are going to adore this Chicken Cacciatore recipe. Chicken cacciatore is an Italian dish with a delicious tomato-based sauce. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian and refers to a rustic hunter-style dish made with meat, herbs, and various vegetables.
Just like with all of my recipes, I worked to take this classic and ensure that it was simple to make, didn’t involve complicated steps, and was made with easy-to-find ingredients. The result is my own spin on a classic recipe that everyone will love, and you will find easy to whip up.
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
Here is a brief overview of how to make this recipe for chicken cacciatore. For the full recipe, including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Prepare the Chicken
Pat the chicken dry and season it with salt and pepper. In a hot skillet, brown the chicken on both sides. Remove it from the skillet and set aside.
Please note: patting meat dry before searing prevents the meat from steaming in the residual surface moisture and allows the surface to get that perfectly golden crust.
Sauté the Vegetables
Add the garlic, onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers to the skillet and cook until the onion is translucent.
Make the Sauce
Add the wine to the pan and scrape down any brown bits. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and capers. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan.
Add the Chicken Back to the Pan
Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with fresh parsley and parmesan.
Tweaking for Picky Eaters
This dish is truly easy to tweak, so no matter who you are making it for, they will adore it. If your family doesn’t love capers, just leave them out. If you are married to someone who is mortal enemies with onions, just swap it out for 2 teaspoons of onion powder. If someone in your life doesn’t like mushrooms, either add in more bell peppers or swap it for something else, like diced zucchini. I love recipes that we can make our own, and this one is perfect for that.
Tips and Tricks
- Cooking with wine: When choosing a red wine for the cacciatore sauce, use one that you enjoy drinking. No need to splurge on an expensive bottle, but the flavor of the wine will shine through in the flavor of the sauce. Do not use a wine labeled “cooking wine”.
- Making this without wine: If you prefer to make this recipe without wine, I recommend replacing it with chicken broth.
- Balance the flavors at the end: If your sauce is too acidic from the canned tomatoes at the end, add 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar. This will take away the acidic taste without making it sweet. If the sauce is too sweet, you can add a 1/2 a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- How to serve: Serve with cooked spaghetti, rice, or potatoes. You can read all of my tips and tricks for cooking pasta here: How to Cook Pasta.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken cacciatore in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. It works best to store the sauce in a separate container from the pasta. Use the stovetop or microwave to reheat your leftovers, only reheating the portion you plan to eat. Serve over fresh or reheated pasta. Leftovers should not be reheated more than once.
What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore is served over spaghetti (or any pasta you have or enjoy). It could also be enjoyed over rice or zucchini noodles. Since the dish is loaded with protein and vegetables, it is a meal on its own, but here are a few ideas to round it out:
If you make this easy Chicken Cacciatore recipe or any of my other recipes, please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs pat very dry
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup red wine see note
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes undrained
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons capers
- fresh parsley optional
- parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry on both sides with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook for eight minutes or until the chicken easily releases from the pan. (At this step, it is okay if you have to use a little effort to pull the chicken off, but there should be no ripping of skin.) Flip the chicken and cook for three more minutes, and then transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside. (It is okay if it isn’t fully cooked; it will finish cooking later in the recipe.) Drain off all but two tablespoons of grease.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add the bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, and garlic cloves. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about five to seven minutes.1 red bell pepper, 1 small yellow onion, 4 garlic cloves, 8 ounces white mushrooms
- Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, and capers. Return the chicken to the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. You should see small, consistent bubbles. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if needed. (See note about balancing flavors.)1/2 cup red wine, 15 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons capers
- Serve over spaghetti with fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan cheese.fresh parsley, parmesan cheese
Notes
Sharon B says
I love how you put the actual ingredients that are used in each step. There have been times I put a dish in the oven and turned around and saw an ingredient I did not include.
I’m so happy you find that helpful!
Laura says
Love your recipes
I’m so happy to hear that, Laura!
Caryl says
Loved this recipe but found it needed more flavour so I added Italian spices, red pepper flakes and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. It was the ultimate comfort food with mash!
Thanks for sharing!