Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes is an EASY weeknight dinner that cooks itself! With chicken falling off the bone in an Italian stew, this is comfort food at its finest.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes is personally one of the most easy but most flavoursome recipes I’ve made!
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Cacciatore means hunter in Italian, and alla cacciatora translates to a ‘hunter-style’ meal or stew with chicken, onions, herbs and vegetables, all simmered down in a thick and rich tomato sauce, until the chicken is falling off the bone.
A step up from my popular Chicken Cacciatore recipe, THIS Cacciatore has the added bonus of baby potatoes AND is so easy to make! No baby sitting a pot over the stove required because it’s all done in your slow cooker!
Included in this recipe is the option to browning the chicken first. Personally, I love searing any meat before adding it into the slow cooker, for added flavour. BUT! You don’t have too! Especially if preparing this before work and rushing out the door 20 minutes late with one shoe in hand…..never mind.
Once it’s all done, serve over pasta, steamed vegetables, spaghetti squash OR rice (um….sorry).
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on or off
- Salt and pepper to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed )
- 2 pounds (1 kg) baby potatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (or 8 cloves)
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow pepper (capsicum), deseeded and diced
- 1 small red pepper (capsicum), deseeded and diced
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 14 oz (410g) can crushed tomatoes
- 14 oz (400g) bottle tomato passata (tomato sauce or puree for US readers)*
- 150 ml red wine (optional -- substitute with beef broth IF DESIRED)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano
- 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt (adjust to your taste)
- pepper (adjust to your taste)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup pitted black olives
Instructions
- (OPTIONAL STEP): Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan or skillet. Sear skin-side down (if using skin on thighs) first for 3 minutes, until deep golden brown. Rotate and sear the other side for a further 3 minutes.
- Arrange the potatoes in a 6qt slow cooker bowl in single layer. Place the chicken over the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients over the chicken (except olives and mushrooms).
- Stir to combine; cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.
- Add in the mushrooms and olives in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Season with extra salt, to your tastes and serve.
- Serve over rice, pasta or spaghetti squash.
Lauren says
Absolutely delicious! Whole family loved it, even my picky teenager who described it as “fire.” Next time I’ll probably only use one pound of potatoes. It was just a LOT of potatoes and then to serve it over pasta or rice is like carb on carb 😁 Great recipe!
Kathy Montgomery says
Absolutely the best tasting recipe. I added the red wine (Merlot). Had it last nite and hubby wants the leftovers Tonite. I didn’t have a slow cooker large enough so I put it in a toaster pan and baked at 300° for 4 hours. If you want to bake slower try 190° for 8 hours. Really, really good!
Peter Wright says
If you use a cast iron pot it’s best if its enamelled as the acidity of the tomatoes in slow cooking will erode any curing you have on it and a in bare metal pot food will absorb too much iron which is not good. Also, if you have a pot with an imperfect seal then cover with aluminium foil before you put on the pot’s cover.
Barry says
I tried this recipe over the weekend and, just like all the other of Karina’s recipes I’ve tried, this worked out great. I noticed a recent comment made about being disappointed when using a cast iron pot. I used a slow cooker and followed the recipe. The one thing I did differently was used boneless thighs.
Brian says
I’m very sorry about this. I’ve had great success with some of your other recipes, but this one didn’t work out when using a cast iron pot. Not enough moisture.
Anna-Lilja says
Just wondering how this recipe works if no potatoes are added. Will it be watery?
Probably going to do a double recipe minus potatoes for a large group after a day of cross country skiing. Can’t wait.
Pgparks says
Anna-Lilja why would you not find a recipe for a cast iron pot????? I am always amused vby people that change the recipe and then wonder why it didn’t turn out!
Debbie Burns says
Absolutely delicious and I’m normally not a big fan of cacciatore! Loved the addition of potatoes, but still having the leftovers over some pasta. Great flavor and I used boneless thighs instead of bone in which is my preference in the crock pot.
Leah says
This was delicious! Skipped the browning step and followed the recipe exactly. This is the 4th recipe I’ve tried this week from this website & I haven’t been disappointed by one! Your website makes me look like I know what I’m doing!
Nanci says
How long would you cook this in the Instant Pot please?
Chris Snapp Bleisch says
Hi
I love your recipes and the pictures are beautiful. Please giv the instant pot instructions for this dish.
Kay says
Trying this now. Possibly a silly question, but are the 2 tbsps of olive oil to brown the chicken, or does that go in the Crockpot with the other ingredients?
Sarah says
I loved this recipie! Thank-you! I tried it the first time in the crockpot and am trying it tonight in the instant pot!
Sue says
Would this recipe work using a large / electric roasting pan instead of a crock pot? I’m doubling the recipe and my crockpot isn’t big enough. If yes, how long should I cook it for?
Thanks,
Sue
pamela says
i have a question in the recipe do i add the whole bottle of wine in or how many measure cups do i use
Rose Markisello says
125ml is half a cup. so little more than half cup. Also I would cook off the alcohol before adding to the crock pot.
Francesca says
This looks delicious! Could I use chicken legs instead?
Karina says
Yes, that sounds delicious! You are welcome to alter any of my recipes to make your own. In some cases it may change the baking time and the way the recipe turns out. Hope you enjoy your chicken with potatoes!
Marie says
Love this recipe make it regularly and I add or subtract ingredients depending on what I have available. Examples have used tinned harricot beans instead of potatoes.Mild chilli powder instead of hot fresh chillies
Apple juice instead of wine .Dont bother if I haven’t got any olives. It is a fabulous starting point like all of the recipes I have tried and use off this site, cooking is an adventure and this site is my inspiration!!!
Thank you
Camille says
Do you need to add both the 400g crushed tomatoes and 400g passata to the pot or is it an either or option? It’s not clear in the recipe.
Many thanks for another great recipe!
Karina says
Yes, you will want to add both of them. Thanks so much for following along with me! Enjoy your meal!
Sarah says
I made it and beautiful flavour but it was a bit watery. What did i do wrong
.
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Karina says
OH no! I am sorry it was watery. I am not sure if it didn’t get hot enough for it to thicken. I am glad that the flavor was still there.
Robert Ruppert says
I vote 5 for this. As a devotee of paleo i used spaghetti squash and turnip (instead of potato). Put a lot more mushrooms and olives in it also – this was the best one I have tried, thank you
Karina says
Mmm sounds great Robert! Thank you so much for sharing your feedback!
Zina says
Made this for work in the crock pot. It turned out great! I will make this again. I doubled the chicken and served it over pasta and had plenty of leftover. It fed 6 +
Karina says
Yum! I’m so happy to hear that. Thank you for your feedback!
Jd says
Can you make this recipe with chicken breasts as well?
Joanne says
Thanks for the suggestion of turnip. I don’t eat potatoes, but may also add some as my visitors like potatoes.
Jodi says
This was incredible and leftovers were even better, Thank you!
Rose Coleman says
Love cafe delight
alex says
Do you need to add both the 400g crushed tomatoes and a 400g passata to the pot or is it an either or option? It’s not clear in the recipe.
Many thanks