I love an easy recipe like chicken cacciatore that can feed the whole family, plus leave us with delicious leftovers. This chicken cacciatore is so tasty and goes well with any of your favorite starches
Cacciatore is one of those recipes that fill your home with a delicious aroma. There is nothing like walking into a house that smells like a home-cooked meal. That fragrant smell of garlic and onions is a scent burned into my memory from childhood. I can remember coming into the house from playing outside and knowing Mom was cooking.
When I cook for the family, I always think about trying to get the complete meal all in the same cooking process. I HATE when I start cooking a protein and then I'm thinking well what vegetable should I cook, and should I also make pasta?
Chicken cacciatore is great because it has all of the protein and vegetables and it goes great with any grain. Throw on a pot of pasta or rice, roast some potatoes, or if you want to get fancy, cook some risotto. I love when it's easy to get this all in front of my family, especially with minimum cleanup because you only need the dutch oven.
More Dutch Oven recipes!
Ingredients for Chicken Cacciatore
- 6 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion, medium
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp capers
- fresh rosemary, thyme, and basil
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Substitutions and Ingredient Notes
Chicken Thighs. Bone-in or boneless depending on your preference. Either way, skin off for this recipe and make sure you get a really good sear on the chicken. Bone-in chicken thighs will be slightly easier to sear because you won't accidentally cook them through, while you'll have to be a little more careful with boneless.
Vegetables. There is no "right" recipe for cacciatore. It's one of those recipes with a very murky history. Some say it dates back to the 14th or 16th century but as any smart-ass will tell you, "ThEy dIdN't hAvE ToMaToEs In ITaLy BaCk tHeN." Tomatoes were introduced to Italy in the mid-1500s. Regardless, cacciatore is usually chicken braised with tomatoes, mushrooms, and peppers. But, I say add other vegetables if you like. Substitute the mushrooms if you hate them.
Olives and Capers. Not a "necessary" ingredient but they add a ton of flavor. I used kalamata olives but feel free to switch it up and use some green olives.
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
This is a pretty simple recipe and once you get everything in the pot, it pretty much does all the work on its own.
Searing the Chicken
Start by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Then, in a large dutch oven add olive oil and sear the chicken thighs on high heat on both sides for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set them aside. When I sear, I like to fill the bottom of the pan with the thighs and leave minimal space. This allows less steam to build up around the thighs and reduces the possibility of them accidentally overcooking.
Cooking the Vegetables
Add olive oil to the dutch oven and lower to medium heat. Add the peppers and mushrooms and saute until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
Then add in the chopped onions and saute for another 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and allow it to saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and thoroughly combine with the vegetables. The tomato paste should begin to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. After 2 minutes, pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Simmer the red wine until it reduces by half. Then pour in the crushed tomatoes and return the chicken to the pot. Add the thyme, rosemary, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer. Simmer the sauce for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's important to keep the sauce moving to avoid burning the sauce.
Add capers and olives and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with your favorite starch! Chicken cacciatore is one of those recipes that just develops a better flavor by day 2. So this is a great recipe to have for leftovers!
What should I serve chicken cacciatore with?
Serve chicken cacciatore over your favorite pasta, or a bowl of rice! Serve it with roasted potatoes, or even whip up some risotto. I love it the best over rice. It is so filling and the flavors soak into the rice so well!
How to Reheat chicken cacciatore?
No matter what, I would reheat it in a saucepan. The chicken will cook evenly this way. If you're reheating and adding pasta, add a little bit of the pasta water to the pan you're reheating the chicken in. It will help the sauce stick to the pasta better!
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Try some of our other classic Italian dishes below!
📖 Recipe
Chicken Cacciatore
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 peppers
- 1 onion, medium
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz mushrooms
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- 2 tablespoon capers
- fresh rosemary, thyme, and basil
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- In a large dutch oven add olive oil and sear the chicken thighs on high heat on both sides for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the chicken and set them aside
- Add olive oil to the dutch oven and lower to medium heat. Add the peppers and mushrooms and saute until they begin to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Then add in the onions and saute everything for another 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and allow it to saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste to combine with everything. The tomato paste should begin to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. After 2 minutes, pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape off the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer the red wine until it reduces by half. Then pour in the crushed tomatoes and return the chicken to the pot. Add the thyme, rosemary, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Simmer the sauce for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add capers and olives and simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve with your favorite starch!
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