This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
There is something wildly satisfying about throwing everything into one pot, walking away, and coming back to a dinner that tastes like you’ve been stirring it for hours. This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with potatoes is that kind of meal. The chicken turns meltingly tender, the sauce thickens into a rich Italian-style stew, and the potatoes soak up every drop of flavour. It is proper comfort food without the effort.
What I love most about this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is how ridiculously easy it is while still delivering big, bold flavour. It sits proudly alongside favourites like Slow Cooker Asian Glazed Chicken, Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken, and even hearty slow-cooked pies. If you are after a reliable, flavour-packed chicken cacciatore recipe that practically cooks itself, this is the one to bookmark.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s Proper Set And Forget Comfort Food: This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore truly cooks itself. Once everything is in the pot, the slow cooker gently builds flavour for hours while you get on with your day.
- Fall-Off-The-Bone Tender Chicken: Cooking low and slow allows the chicken to become incredibly soft and juicy, soaking up every bit of that rich tomato and herb sauce.
- Built-In Side With The Potatoes: The baby potatoes cook right in the sauce, absorbing all the flavour and turning this chicken cacciatore into a complete one-pot dinner.
- Classic Italian Flavour Without The Fuss: Tomatoes, garlic, herbs, capsicum and olives slowly simmer together to create deep, layered flavour without standing over the stove.
- Weeknight Friendly But Weekend Worthy: It’s simple enough for a busy Tuesday but hearty and comforting enough to serve when you want something that feels a little special.
What You’ll Need For This Slow Cooker Beauty
This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore keeps things simple but layered with flavour.
- Chicken Thighs: Bone-in thighs stay juicy during long cooking and deliver richer flavour than breast meat. They become fall-apart tender in the slow cooker and soak up every bit of sauce.
- Baby Potatoes: Cooking right underneath the chicken, they absorb all the tomato and herb flavours while turning this into a full, satisfying one-pot meal.
- Crushed Tomatoes And Passata: Using both gives the sauce body and depth. The crushed tomatoes add texture, while the passata creates a smooth, rich base for this classic chicken cacciatore recipe.
- Red Wine: Optional but worth it. A splash of wine deepens the flavour and gives your slow cooker chicken that slow-simmered, traditional Italian character.
Note: Please see recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients with measurements.
Make It Your Own
Want to tweak this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore to suit what’s in your fridge or your mood? Here are some easy add-ins and swaps that work beautifully without changing the heart of the dish.
- Add A Parmesan Rind: Drop one into the sauce at the start of cooking for an extra savoury depth. Remove before serving.
- Stir Through Fresh Basil At The End: A handful of torn fresh basil added just before serving brightens up the rich tomato sauce.
- Add A Splash Of Balsamic Vinegar: Just a teaspoon or two at the end can balance the acidity and add subtle sweetness.
- Swap Potatoes For Cannellini Beans: If you want something lighter, stir in drained white beans during the last hour of cooking for extra protein and creaminess.
How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
- Optional Sear: Season chicken with salt and pepper, then heat a oil and sear skin-side down for 3 minutes until golden, sear other side for another 3 minutes.
- Layer The Potatoes First: Arrange the potatoes in a single layer in the base of a 6-quart slow cooker to create a sturdy, flavour-soaking foundation.
- Add Ingredients: Place chicken over potatoes and pour remaining ingredients on top, leaving out the olives and mushrooms for now.
- Cook Until Tender: Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone.
- Finish: Stir in the mushrooms and olives during the last 30 minutes of cooking, then taste and adjust seasoning with extra salt if needed.
- Serve And Spoon Over Sauce: Serve hot over rice, pasta or spaghetti squash, making sure to spoon plenty of the rich sauce over the top.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is rich, saucy and packed with flavour, so it pairs beautifully with simple sides that can soak up every spoonful. Garlic Cheese Bread is perfect for mopping up that tomato and herb sauce, while Focaccia Three-Cheese Italian Grilled Cheese turns dinner into something extra indulgent and comforting.
If you’re after something a little lighter but still hearty, Cauliflower Fried Rice makes a great base to serve underneath your slow cooker chicken. It keeps things balanced while still catching all that beautiful cacciatore sauce in every bite.
Slow Cooker Secrets You’ll Thank Me For Later
- Sear If You Can, Skip If You Must: Browning the chicken first gives you deeper flavour and better texture, but if it’s been one of those days, you can absolutely toss it straight in and still win dinner.
- Let The Potatoes Breathe: Keep them in a single layer so they cook evenly and don’t turn into mash underneath the chicken. They’re there to soak up flavour, not disappear.
- Hands Off The Lid: I know it’s tempting to peek, but every lift releases heat and adds extra cooking time. Trust the process and walk away.
- Add Mushrooms Late: Stir them in during the last 30 minutes so they stay tender and juicy instead of shrinking into sad little sponges.
- Taste At The End: Slow cooking softens flavours, so always check for salt before serving. A small adjustment can make everything pop.
- Give It A Short Rest: Letting it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving helps the sauce thicken slightly and settle, making it easier to spoon generously over everything.
Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, but reduce the cooking time slightly and keep an eye on it. Chicken breast is leaner and can dry out if left too long, so check for doneness earlier and avoid overcooking.
Slow cookers trap moisture, so if your sauce looks thin, remove the lid for the last 20 to 30 minutes to let it reduce. You can also stir in a small cornflour slurry if you need a quicker fix.
Absolutely. You can chop the vegetables and measure out the ingredients the night before, store them in the fridge, and assemble everything in the slow cooker in the morning.
You might also like
Get a free eBook!
Subscribe to Cafe Delites FOR FREE and receive recipes straight into your inbox!
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore With Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on or off
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper to season
- 2 tablespoons olive oil more if needed
- 2 pounds baby potatoes quartered
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced, or 8 cloves
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 small yellow pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 small red pepper deseeded and diced
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- 14 oz 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 parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to your taste
- 1 pinch pepper adjust to your taste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup mushrooms sliced
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!
Can I prepare day before put it complete in fridge overnight then heat and add olives and mushrooms 30 mins before the day I am serving it
So glad to have found your recipe but tweaked it a bit based on the size of my crock pot & what I had on hand. So yummy.
Only had 5 thigh fillets so halved the amount of potato but did add in 1 large turnip.
Seared the chicken (no salt only pepper – also omitted any further salt as thought the bacon would be enough) and then fried off the onion, garlic, added 1/2 cup diced bacon & then the tomato paste.
Only had 1 carrot so added 1 lge celery strip finely sliced.
Didn’t have passata so used 1 x 790g tin of Polpa finely chopped tomato
Also added approx 150g roasted pepper strips instead of the red pepper & dbled the amount of wine
Fried off 400g button mushrooms cut in half until golden in small amount of butter to reduce the amount of liquid in the end from the mushrooms.
Added the parsely with the mushrooms & olives at the end
Delicious recipe. I had to substitute a few ingredients and it was still so good. White wine in place of red wine, chicken paste in place of beef bullion. Changes made because it was what I had on hand. Thank you for another grest recipe.
Help! I had shopped for and was all set to make your stovetop/oven cacciatore when another experience made me realize I hated my oven and stove (too uneven and uncontrollable heating). So I decided to switch to the crockpot. I notice the only differences in the ingredients are switching out 1/2 the crushed tomatoes for passata and eliminating the Roma tomatoes. Do you suggest leaving out those beautiful Romas I bought? Thanks.
Delicious ! I doubled the recipe as my crock is huge ! 4.5 hrs on High. I followed it 100% to your recipe ~ Including the searing of the skin on Chicken ~ No Salt as I used Better than Boullion instead of the cube
I did not make an extra carb as the potatoes were enough ~ served it w bread & butter
Next time I will use boneless skinless thighs ~ no searing ~ no potatoes & serve w pasta
3 hrs on high or 5 on low
Do Not skip the Red Wine ! The aroma of the wine is the best in a crock 🙂
My Italian Nona served it over polenta! Follow the directions on YELLOW Cornmeal. whisking it together until it starts to bubble, cover and turn down, (until well done, about 15 minutes) stir often to help it not stick to the bottom of the pan. It will get thick.
When it is done, immediately pour it out onto a buttered platter, after 5 minutes you can cut into squares or scoop onto your plate while it’s still hot. It’s a great side dish. She also sauted green beans in a little olive oil, season w/ S & P to taste and minced garlic until it starts browning.
Hope you enjoy.
My Italian Nona served it over polenta! Follow the directions on YELLOW Cornmeal. whisking it together until it starts to bubble, cover and turn down, (until well done, about 15 minutes) stir often to help it not stick to the bottom of the pan. It will get thick.
When it is done, immediately pour it out onto a buttered platter, after 5 minutes you can cut into squares or scoop onto your plate while it’s still hot. It’s a great side dish. She also salted green beans in a little olive oil, season w/ S & P to taste and minced garlic until it starts browning.
Hope you enjoy.
This is the best cacciatore recipe I’ve tried. Get rid of the rest, this one’s the best. Really yummy. Cacciatore should be all about tomatoes and this one certainly is. Using a slow cooker cooks out the acidity often present in canned or bottled tomatoes. Used fresh basil and oregano ’cause I grow them and had some really taste fresh chilies which also went in rather than dried flakes. First night with pasta, second night with rice and can’t wait to cook it again but might swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes next time.
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!
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.