Chicken Cacciatore
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This easy Chicken Cacciatore recipe is a rustic, hearty chicken dish, and a classic Italian comfort food made in one pot. It’s bursting with bright colors and fresh flavor.
The Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
I have a comforting recipe for you today that’s perfect for this time of year. It’s filling, full of awesome flavor, and loaded with veggies. This is one of those recipes that you can use up pretty much any of the leftover veggies that are hanging around in your fridge. Did I mention it’s also all done in one pot? Score!
Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish. Cacciatore actually translates to hunter in Italian. Alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with tomatoes, onions, lots of herbs, bell peppers and wine. So there you have it, Chicken Cacciatore, hunter-style chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Cacciatore
- Easy Recipe! This is a simple recipe that requires no special cooking skills or fancy ingredients. Once the chicken is seared and the veggies are sauteed, all you have to do is pop the dish into the oven to finish cooking.
- Tender Tasty Chicken! Braised chicken dishes like cacciatore are super flavorful and the meat literally just falls off the bone. It’s a foolproof cooking process that comes out perfect every time.
- Comforting Favorite! This hearty dish is a traditional Italian comfort food loved by all! You can’t go wrong serving this chicken cacciatore any day of the week. And it freezes incredibly well.
- Olive Oil – I find that a good Italian extra virgin olive oil adds the best flavor, but you can use any type of vegetable oil you like.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter to control the level of saltiness.
- Chicken – I used wings and drumsticks, but you can also use skin-on chicken thighs or breasts.
- Seasonings – Salt and black pepper are needed to season the chicken and the dish.
- Garlic – Always mince your own fresh garlic if you can. Store-bought already chopped garlic will work, but it just isn’t the same.
- Onion – Any type of onion will work, but I prefer to use brown onions in this dish.
- Mushrooms – I used white mushrooms, but baby bellas are super yummy too in cacciatore.
- Bell Peppers – Any color of bell peppers will do.
- Herbs and Spices – A bit of dried oregano, bay leaves, and turmeric are added to give the sauce layers of flavor.
- Red Wine – You can use any type of red wine. It doesn’t need to be expensive.
- Tomato Paste – Used to thicken the sauce and add some concentrated tomato flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes – You’ll need canned diced tomatoes for this dish. If all you have is whole tomatoes on hand, just chop them up.
- Kalamata Olives – Used to finish the cacciatore, the olives add yummy bites of savory salty goodness to the dish. You can also use capers if you don’t have any Kalamata olives.
- Parsley – Always use fresh parsley to garnish your food. Fresh basil is another option.
This is a super easy recipe with just a few simple steps! After about 25 minutes of effort, you just pop this dish into the oven and dinner is on the table 45 minutes later!
To begin, you need to preheat your oven temperature to 400°F (204°C) so that it is hot and ready once the cacciatore starts cooking. You’ll also need a large oven-safe skillet with a lid for this recipe. A Dutch oven works too.
Now you can start cooking! First, heat the olive oil and butter in the large oven-safe skillet on the stovetop over medium heat just until the butter is melted. Next, add the chicken and generously season it with salt and black pepper. Now, fry the chicken for about 4 minutes on each side or until it’s golden in color. At this point, the chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked. It will continue to cook once it’s in the oven. Now, transfer the chicken to a plate and set it aside for now.
You’ll use the same pan that you just cooked the chicken in to saute the veggies. Start by adding the garlic and onions to the skillet and saute them for 2 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Next, add the mushrooms and cook them for about 5 minutes until they cook down. Then add the bell peppers and cook for a few more minutes until they soften up a bit.
Once the veggies are sautéed, add the turmeric, dried oregano, bay leaves, red wine, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes to the skillet. Now, stir everything together and bring the mixture to a boil.
After the sauce comes to a boil, add the chicken back into the skillet. Then cover it with a lid and place the skillet into the oven. Now, bake the cacciatore for 45 minutes to an hour or until the chicken is done.
When the chicken is done, top the dish with the Kalamata olives and garnish with fresh parsley to finish. Then serve the chicken cacciatore over spaghetti, rice, creamy polenta or buttered noodles.
What Type of Wine Should I Use for Chicken Cacciatore
There is a lot of flavor that comes from the red wine in this dish. I like to use drier wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel. White wine would also work, again I would go with a dry wine here like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay.
But wait, I don’t want to use any wine! Well, that’s totally okay. Use a cup of chicken broth with a tablespoon of vinegar. Any type of vinegar will work, however I prefer to use a red wine vinegar or white wine vinegar.
What Can I Serve With Chicken Cacciatore
This chicken cacciatore is actually perfect over noodles/pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or even some nice creamy polenta.
Looking for a low carb option? Try it over zucchini noodles, cauliflower rice, or mashed cauliflower.
Expert Tips
- Season the chicken well. Make sure to generously season the chicken with salt and black pepper when frying it. If you don’t, the chicken can turn out bland.
- Deglaze the pan. When adding the wine and other liquid ingredients make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned bits. This will make the cacciatore more flavorful.
- Alcohol-free version. If you want to make this recipe totally alcohol free you can just omit the red wine and use chicken stock instead.
- Temp the chicken. Use a digital cooking thermometer to make sure that your chicken has reached at least 165°F (75°C) before serving.
Storage
Transfer any leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you plan on freezing this dish, I would suggest that you freeze it in individual servings. This is such a great way to have lunch or dinner prepped! Pop it in the microwave, and it will taste just as good as it was fresh out of the oven. Leftovers will last in the freezer for 3 months.
Other Delicious Chicken Recipes To Try
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Coq au Vin
- Arroz con Pollo
- Chicken Stew
- One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Chicken Kiev
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Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 pounds chicken wings and drumsticks
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 pound white mushrooms (cleaned and chopped)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper (chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons oregano (dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes (1 can)
- ¾ cup Kalamata olives (pitted)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Add the olive oil and butter to a large oven-safe skillet with a lid, and heat until butter has melted.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and season generously with salt and pepper. Fry the chicken on both sides until golden, about 4 min per side. The chicken doesn't have to be cooked through, as it will continue cooking while in the oven. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and saute for 2 minutes until the onion is translucent and the garlic becomes aromatic. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 min until the mushrooms cook down then add the peppers.
- I like to cook my mushrooms first, but you could add the mushrooms and peppers all at once. Stir and cook for a couple more minutes until the peppers soften a bit.
- Add the turmeric, oregano, bay leaves, red wine, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Add the chicken back to the pot, cover with a lid and place in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Top with whole Kalamata olives and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
- Serve over noodles, rice or polenta.
Video
Notes
- I used drumsticks and wings in this recipe, but you can use whichever part of the chicken you prefer.
- You can use any type of wine that you like – white or red.
- Season the chicken well. Make sure to generously season the chicken with salt and black pepper when frying it. If you don’t, the chicken can turn out bland.
- Deglaze the pan. When adding the wine and other liquid ingredients make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the browned bits. This will make the cacciatore more flavorful.
- Alcohol-free version. If you want to make this recipe totally alcohol free you can just omit the red wine and use chicken stock instead.
- Temp the chicken. Use a digital cooking thermometer to make sure that your chicken has reached at least 165°F (75°C) before serving.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
The first time I made this, it was very tasty but I found the sauce too thin……I was hoping for thick, stick to the chicken sauce. This time, I drained the canned tomatoes. Perfect. Also, each time I used skin on thighs. Excellent
Perfection! Did the alcohol free option with chicken broth and red wine vinegar. Used large chicken drumsticks. They were fall off the bone tender and the sauce was tangy and slurp your noodles delicious! This one is a keeper!
Glad you liked it!
I made this last night. Very good flavor. My wife does not like dark meat so I used strips of chicken breast and adjusted the oven time down by 10 minutes.
Happy to hear you guys enjoyed it!
This is easy and delicious. The sauce is deep and flavorful and the chicken is so moist.
Made this dish this evening (forgot to take a picture) but it turned out great! I didn’t have any bell peppers- so I added broccoli after the dish came out of the oven along with the olives. Served over quinoa! Was a hit- next time I will try to make it in our Tagine- seems like it would work really well. Was delicious and will make it again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent!!!!!!!!!!!
My husband didn’t want me to give any to the sick neighbours I made it for! I explained I’d made double but he really loved it so much
Easy and delicious!! I used 3lbs chicken (half thighs and half breasts and substituted black olives baked a little over an hour.
I followed the recipe exactly and my finished result ended up really watery, even though I let the skillet boil for quite some time before putting it in the oven. After pulling it out of the oven, I had to give it at least 15 mins extra on the stovetop to evaporate the excess liquid. I also added an extra tablespoon of tomato paste at this point to help thicken the sauce. The sauce eventually thickened up and the flavours were fantastic and the chicken was really moist, although the veg ended up a bit mushy with my extra sautéing. Next time I think I’ll leave the skillet uncovered for at least a portion of the time in the oven, or just let everything slow-simmer on the stovetop uncovered instead of using the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like you did something wrong. I followed the directions as written and it came out perfect.
Making g this for Sunday dinner. Looks delicious.
This made an incredible meal. I deglazed the pan with a splash of whiskey before adding the mushrooms and peps. I didn’t have wine so I used a cup of water with a splash of vinegar. It came out of the oven watery (duuuuh, oops), so I whipped up a roux, tossed in a splash of the pasta water, then the penne itself, along with red pepper flakes, onion powder, adobo spice mix, and fresh cracked black pepper. As it cooled it all came together; I topped it with some parmesan and it was very well received. Thank you for the guidance and the recipe, I’ll be coming back to it for sure.
One of my favorite way to eat chicken. yum!
Great recipe. I’m making mine with boneless chicken thighs. I’ll use San Marzano roasted tomatoes and more garlic. Top with kalamata olives and parmesan cheese..maybe scallions for color. Yum
This. Looks. Incredible. Love all of the bold, rich flavors in here, and the olives are such a nice addition! Saving now!
Thanks, Karly!
I made this and then asked my husband if he liked it. I then kicked myself because he always says yes whether he likes it or not. I was impatient. If I really want to know if he likes something I have to wait for the unsolicited feedback or the trip for seconds. Well halfway through the bowl he said, “This is really good.” Cue the fireworks?
So I used boneless skinless chicken thighs, a 28oz can of tomatoes and a fennel bulb I needed to use up, and only one teaspoon of oregano? I also put mine over some leftover spaghetti squash (regular pasta for my hubs)
Great recipe! Thanks for another keeper!
LOL thanks for the giggle! Glad you guys liked it. 🙂