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.
Neva says
I forgot that I also added celery as my husband requests it I everything.
Neva says
This was my first ever chicken cacciatore. My husband is half-Italian and remembers his mother’s, so I made the effort. My only alteration was to leave out all salt as he must avoid it, and to sprinkle cumin on the chicken along with the black pepper. I prepped everything the evening before and accidentally put the olives in with the tomato mixture so they cooked the entire time, but since they were kalamatas rather than canned, they stood up to it. I served it over rigatoni and we sprinkled Romano cheese over. I sautéed zucchini and summer squash with a shallot, scallions, garlic, and garlic chives as a side.
This was fabulous. It is the new family favorite.
KaraBoo says
I followed the instructions explicitly, probably for the first time ever in my cooking history; i always seem to have an excuse to alter the recipe based on my experience. But this time, I toed the line. And holy moly, am I happy that I did so. I would like to say that it tasted better the next day, but there were no leftovers to test that proposition. Everyone raved, and devoured! Simply the best!
Carlos Berbereia says
Made this today, 7/30/2023 OMG it was so good. I had a similar recipe that I use back in the early 2000’s . But I lost .
Every now and then I google the recipe, but never found something comparable until now. AND OMG it’s so good.
I did make two minor changes, which was left off the black olives and added celery I doubled the recipe to fit a large crockpot.
Douglas Furtek says
My first chicken cacciatore came out fantastico thanks to you, Karina! Thank you so much!
E. Hillier says
I made this dish recently and it was delicious! I made enough for a second meal to which I added a can of black beans. Also very good. Thank you.
Tracy H says
This dish is perfection!! Today is my 2nd time making it. I left out the olives because we don’t like them and added bay leaves. Otherwise I follow it step by step. My husband and I absolutely love this.
Susan LaFreniere says
Tried this recipe for the first time today, it was delicious! We served it with spaghetti squash. My son came over while it was simmering and said it smelled so good his mouth was watering. I will definitely be making this again. Already bookmarked the recipe!
Mandi Bokman says
I never leave reviews, but had to with this keeper recipe. Absolutely wonderful!! The only change I made was to use pitted Kalamata olives since I had on hand and they added lovely flavor. Can’t wait to make this again! Love love loved it!!
Alberto Lopez says
Delicious! My guests loved it..You are spot on;the next day it was even better How can I share a photo?