The BEST Chicken Cacciatore in a rich and rustic sauce with chicken falling off the bone is simple Italian comfort food at its best!
Authentic Chicken Cacciatore is an Italian classic and makes for an incredible dinner. You’ll never get a more succulent home cooked meal than this recipe! Easy to make and loved by the entire family, Cacciatore aromas fill your entire house with comfort and warmth as it cooks itself on the stove or in the oven!
Chicken Cacciatore
Cacciatore means hunter in Italian, and alla cacciatora translates to a  ‘hunter-style’ meal with chicken (or rabbit), onions, tomatoes, herbs, vegetables, and usually wine or vinegar.
This is one of those recipes IÂ found years ago in an old, tattered Italian cookbook. Every time I’d remake it through the years, I’d adjust something in it to eventually reach a cacciatore recipe so perfect, it’s one recipe your entire family will look forward too!
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN CACCIATORE?
This Chicken Cacciatore recipe is an easy throw-together-meal with the most delicious sauce full of incredible flavours!
Simply heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a skillet and sear chicken thighs until golden. It takes about 3-4 minutes on each side, then you’ll finish them off in the beautiful rustic cacciatore sauce.
What is cacciatore sauce made of?
Chicken Cacciatore sauce is a full-flavoured sauce using simple ingredients. Onion and garlic are sautéed in oil in the same skillet with bell peppers, carrots, mushrooms and herbs. I love using brown mushrooms in this cacciatore.
Dry red wine is then added into the skillet and gently simmered to scrape up any browned bits leftover from the chicken in the skillet. Continue cooking until the wine is reduced by at least half.
The result? The most incredible rustic tomato Cacciatore sauce simmering and soaking into juicy chicken thighs until they fall off the bone and melt in your mouth!
Wine Pairing:
- Chianti Classico
- Pinot Noir
- Lambrusco
What is a good side dish for Chicken Cacciatore
Regular sides for chicken Cacciatore:
- Pasta
- Rice
- Mashed Potatoes
For Low Carb:
- Cauliflower rice
- Zucchini Noodles
- Steamed vegetables
If there are any leftovers, the flavours are even better the next day! Or you can freeze it for up to three months in meal prep containers for a ready-made-meal when you need it!
More Italian-inspired recipes:
One Pan Tomato Basil Chicken & Rice
Mozzarella Meatballs In Tomato Sauce
Lasagna
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 6 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper, to season
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic, (or 6 cloves)
- 1 small yellow bell pepper (capsicum), diced
- 1 small red bell pepper (capsicum), diced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
- 10 oz (300g) mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons each freshly chopped parsley and basil plus more to garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 150 ml red wine
- 28 oz (820g) crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 oz (200g) Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy cast iron skillet. Sear chicken on both sides until golden, about 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to the pan. Sauté the onion until transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the peppers, carrot, mushrooms and herbs; cook for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.
- Pour in the wine, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook until wine is reduced, about 2 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, Roma tomatoes and chill flakes. Season with salt and pepper to your tastes. Return chicken pieces to the skillet and continue to cook over stove top OR in the oven following the instructions below.
FOR STOVE TOP:
- Mix all of the ingredients together; cover with lid, reduce heat to low and allow to simmer (while stirring occasionally) for 40 minutes or until the meat is falling off the bone. Add in the olives, allow to simmer for a further 10 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
FOR THE OVEN:
- Transfer the covered skillet to a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) and cook for 50 minutes. Remove the lid, add in the olives and cook for an additional 20 minutes until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone, and the sauce has reduced.
Notes
TO MAKE AHEAD:
This chicken cacciatore can be made up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. Rewarm over low-medium heat.
TO FREEZE:
Transfer the cooled cacciatore into an air tight container and transfer to the freezer. The day of serving, thaw it out in the morning and bring to room temperature. Transfer to a skillet / pan and reheat over low-medium heat until warmed through.
Grant says
Great recipe Karina, quickly becoming a favourite! The spelling of “favourite”, is a hint. I’m in Sydney, Australia.
Third time I’ve made this. Each time was a little different depending on what was fresh and available, but the outcome was always delicious. This time there were two deviations. I substituted reconstituted dried shitake mushrooms for fresh, which is a bit like using dried Porcini as a previous correspondent suggested to add more flavour (there’s that spelling again), and, instead of Kalamata olives I used our home-made salt brined green olives from the tree in the in-law’s backyard. Both fitted in nicely.
It is a 2 hour job from go to wow on the stove-top ( I wasn’t watching television), and it does taste even better on day two!
Tam says
This is one of my favorite recipes, it’s awesome!
Michelle says
I think this extremely tasty! But I think I’d serve with pasta next time rather than mash. The sauce kind of gets too mooshed up with the mash. If anyone has better suggestions please share! Would love to make again!
Tammy says
I’ve made a similar recipe and alway served on Egg Noodles 25 years ago. I recently found that recipe and making it again today. I’ll keep you posted!
Mathew says
I made this for supper this evening and it was excellent,I only made 2 changes.the first was I couldn’t get thoughts so I bought legs and used both the thoughts and drums.and the second was I just don’t like olives so I omitted them.other than that I made it exactly as written and it turned out great.
Kevin M. says
Made this tonight and loved it! What would you suggest serving it over, white rice, or orzo? What is the authentic method?
I love Orzo and chose that as my wife had never had it, but we love both. I just love making authentic dishes from all around the world.
Thank you!
curmudgeon says
Absolutely the best. Did our homegrown heirloom tomatoes proud. We couldn’t stop sopping up the sauce.