Chicken Cacciatore
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Chicken cacciatore is the ultimate simmer-and-savor meal. With layers of deep flavor and a rich sauce, it’s exactly what you want on a cool evening.
Chicken Cacciatore, also known as Hunter’s Chicken, is a classic Italian dish that’s brimming with rich, rustic flavors. The name “cacciatore” means hunter in Italian, and legend has it that hunters would cook it over an open fire with whatever they had on hand—think tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. In this chicken cacciatore recipe, chicken thighs are slow-cooked with those same veggies, plus fragrant herbs, red wine, and broth, creating a deeply savory sauce that’s perfect for spooning over polenta or Parmesan smashed potatoes.
“Followed the recipe exactly as written and served over polenta. Outstanding!!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken Thighs: Bone-in, skin-on thighs bring tons of flavor and richness to the sauce as they simmer—perfect for this kind of slow, savory dish.
- All-Purpose Flour: Lightly coats the chicken for a golden crust and also helps thicken the sauce as it cooks.
- Olive Oil: Used to sear the chicken and sauté the veggies, giving everything a flavorful base.
- Onion and Garlic: These aromatics form the base of the sauce with savory depth and a very subtle bite.
- Mushrooms and Bell Peppers: Add heartiness and texture, with a nice mix of earthy and sweet notes.
- Red Wine: Gives the sauce a rich, slightly fruity backbone. Use an affordable, drinkable wine like Merlot, Pinot Noir, or Chianti. Skip supermarket “cooking wines,” which contain salt and preservatives.
- Chicken Broth: The savory base for the sauce.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Bring a fresh, tangy tomato flavor and a bit of texture to the sauce.
- Tomato Paste: Intensifies the tomato flavor and helps the sauce thicken up.
- Sage, Rosemary, Oregano, Parsley: A mix of herbs that adds lots of savory, aromatic flavor.
- Honey: Just a touch to round things out and balance the acidity of the wine and tomatoes.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prep, dredge, and brown the chicken. Blot the chicken with paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and dredge in flour. Heat some oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and cook until it’s golden and crisp. Once it’s browned, move it to a plate and set it aside.
Step 2: Sauté the vegetables and add the wine. Pour off all but a couple tablespoons of fat from the pan. Lower the heat and add the onions, cooking until they’re softened and lightly browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until it smells nice and fragrant. Add the mushrooms and peppers, and cook for about 5 minutes, just until they start to soften. Pour in the wine and let it boil until it’s mostly evaporated—this concentrates the flavor and cooks off the sharpness of the alcohol.
Step 3: Simmer the sauce and cook the chicken. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, honey, and salt, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken (along with any juices) back to the pot and simmer for 35 minutes, until it’s fully cooked. Transfer the chicken to a plate, peel off and discard the skin (it adds flavor while cooking but gets soggy), and let the sauce simmer a little longer to thicken. Return the chicken to the pot and let it all bubble together for a few more minutes.
Step 4: Garnish and serve. Sprinkle the chicken with chopped parsley and enjoy! This dish can be made up to 3 days in advance and also freezes well for longer storage.
Video Tutorial
More Chicken Recipes You May Also Like
Chicken Cacciatore
Tender chicken braised with peppers, mushrooms, and a rich tomato-wine sauce—chicken cacciatore is a cozy Italian classic that’s perfect for any night you’re craving comfort.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3½ to 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin (see note)
- 2½ teaspoons salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces bella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
- ¾ cup dry red wine (see note)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire-roasted or regular diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Blot the chicken with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Season the chicken all over with 1½ teaspoons salt and the pepper. Place the flour on a large plate. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour, coating all over.
- Heat the oil in a large (5 or 6-qt) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, high-sided large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown half the chicken in a single layer, skin side down, until golden and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for 1 to 2 minutes more. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate; set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken. Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
- Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are softened and just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Do not brown. Add the mushrooms and peppers and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the veggies just begin to soften.
- Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine has mostly evaporated, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sage, rosemary, oregano, honey, and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken and any accumulated juices from the plate back to the pot and spoon some of the sauce over it. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through or registers 165°F - 170°F on a meat thermometer.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate. Gently simmer the sauce for a few minutes, or until it is thickened to your liking. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
- Using a fork and knife, pull the skin off of the chicken and discard. Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the pot and simmer, uncovered, for a few minutes, spooning the thickened sauce over the chicken. Garnish with parsley, if using, and serve.
- Note: Sometimes chicken thighs have excess skin and/or fat. Before cooking, using kitchen shears, trim any skin that extends farther than the edges of the chicken thigh, and snip off any excess fat.
- Note: For the wine, use any red (Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) that is inexpensive but still good enough to drink. Avoid "cooking wines," which are salty and contain additives.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Let cool to room temperature and then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Before serving, defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours if necessary, and then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Serving size: 4
- Calories: 790
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Sugar: 16 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 88 g
- Sodium: 2,026 mg
- Cholesterol: 377 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
What size pan do you use to fit all the thighs in?
Hi Jessica, I use a 5.5-quart Dutch oven or 13-inch skillet, but keep in mind that when you’re browning the chicken, you’ll need to do it in two batches. Hope you enjoy it!
Absolutely delicious. My husband said it was best thing I’ve ever made!! Wouldn’t change a thing.
I printed this recipe, then forgot and left on our home printer a couple days ago. Today when I got home from a long day at work my husband had this prepared for dinner. It was delicious! Another one of your great recipes we’ve enjoyed.
You left it on the printer and your husband not only saw it, but prepared it for you? Well done… you won the husband lottery! It’s refreshing to see people in sync. Looking forward to trying your version, Jenn!
I would love to make this when my sister visits but she is gluten free. Do I need to dredge the chicken? Or can I use a flour substitute?
Hi Nora, I’d use a flour substitute. Hope you both enjoy!
This is delicious! The only thing I had to alter was using 1 teaspoon ground sage instead of 2 tablespoons fresh (all I had). We ate this over thin spaghetti. I will definitely be making this again. It’s the perfect amount of sweetness also.
I try to avoid any added sugars in my recipes if possible. Would the taste be “off” if I don’t use or cut back on the amount of honey?
Thanks!
Hi Susan, it’s fine to reduce or omit the honey — it will not impact the flavor very much. Hope you enjoy!
Looking for note about the wine?
Hi Pamela, the note about the wine is immediately above the make-ahead/freezer-friendly instructions. 🙂
My family does not like dark meat. Could you make it with chicken breasts and get a good result?
Hi Bonnie, You can definitely use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts; just be careful not to overcook them. Enjoy!
What about using chicken breast+thighs? Would breasts be too dry?
Hi Annette, You can use a combination of use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts and chicken thighs; just be careful not to overcook the breasts. Hope you enjoy!
I saw this recipe come through my inbox today. I had planned to make another dish with chicken thighs, but it looked so good in the picture, I had to change my plans! I did use boneless, skinless thighs and they came out great! It shortened the cooking time for a weeknight. I plan to try it again when I have more time to cook as stated in the recipe and use the fresh herbs instead of the dried I had on hand. Delicious!
Thanks for all your food inspiration – my family loves your recipes!! Quick question about this recipe – would it mess it up to use boneless chicken thighs?
Hi Shelley, Glad your family enjoys the recipes! As long as the thighs are skin-on, it will work, but those are hard to find. If you want to give it a shot with boneless skinless thighs, I would only sear the chicken for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, and I think you’ll need to add more oil before cooking the onions and garlic. I’d love to know how it turns out if you try it. 🙂
I came to the comments to ask this exact question. I have almost all the other ingredients on hand, except I have boneless, skinless thighs. Might try this out this weekend!
Always love all your recipes, Jenn. Thank you!
Could this be adapted for Dutch oven instead of stovetop?
Sure, that should work. I’d put it in a 325 degree oven after you’ve added the chicken back in and brought everything to a simmer. Enjoy!
How long in the oven?
I’d use the same timing as the stovetop instructions, so 35 minutes (you’ll know it’s done when a meat thermometer registers between 165°F – 170°F. Enjoy!