Chicken Cacciatore
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 you'll never get a more succulent home cooked meal than this! Easy to make and loved by the entire family!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 190kcal
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 6 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pinch salt to season
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic minced, or 6 cloves
- 1 small yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced
- 10 ounces mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup pitted black olives
- 8 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley plus more to garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 150 ml red wine
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 ounces Roma tomatoes halved
- ½ 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
Tips:
If the sauce is too thin for your liking, add 2 tablespoons of extra tomato paste while it's simmering to thicken.
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. SELECT THE RIGHT CHICKEN Use bone-in, skinless chicken thighs for deeper flavor and juiciness. If using other cuts like breasts, keep an eye on cooking times to avoid dryness, as breast meat can cook faster than thighs. FOR THE PERFECT SEAR Ensure the skillet and oil are hot before adding the chicken so you achieve a good sear. This step is crucial for developing flavor, so don’t overcrowd the pan, as this can cause steaming instead of browning. For the slow cooker use this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe!
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. SELECT THE RIGHT CHICKEN Use bone-in, skinless chicken thighs for deeper flavor and juiciness. If using other cuts like breasts, keep an eye on cooking times to avoid dryness, as breast meat can cook faster than thighs. FOR THE PERFECT SEAR Ensure the skillet and oil are hot before adding the chicken so you achieve a good sear. This step is crucial for developing flavor, so don’t overcrowd the pan, as this can cause steaming instead of browning. For the slow cooker use this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe!
Nutrition
Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 419mg | Potassium: 863mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3.368IU | Vitamin C: 64mg | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 3mg