Chicken Cacciatore

4.69 from 32 votes

Chicken Cacciatore

This rustic Chicken Cacciatore is comfort food at its finest, juicy bone-in chicken simmered in a rich tomato and red wine sauce with mushrooms, sweet peppers, and briny olives. All baked in one pot for deep flavor and easy cleanup.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, chicken cacciatore, italian food, italian recipes

Servings:

Calories: 354kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

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

US Customary - Metric

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

Chicken: I use a mix of wings and drumsticks, but any bone-in, skin-on pieces work. Thighs are great too. Boneless chicken will cook faster, but it won’t have the same depth of flavor.
Mushrooms First: Cooking the mushrooms before the peppers helps them brown and build flavor instead of steaming.
Wine Swaps: Chianti, Pinot Noir, or any dry red works. No wine? Use low-sodium chicken broth + a splash of balsamic or red wine vinegar.
Make It Ahead: Perfect for prepping ahead. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days, flavors deepen and the sauce gets even better overnight.
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.

Nutrition