Chicken Cacciatore
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Chicken cacciatore is the ultimate Italian comfort food. With its rich, hearty sauce and layers of flavor, it’s just the thing for a chilly night.
Chicken Cacciatore, also known as Hunter’s Chicken, is a classic Italian dish brimming with rich, rustic flavor. The name cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and legend has it that hunters would prepare it over an open fire using whatever ingredients they had on hand. In this version, tender chicken thighs are simmered in a hearty tomato and red wine sauce with peppers, onions, and herbs until the meat practically falls off the bone. It’s cozy, comforting, and perfect for spooning over creamy polenta or Parmesan smashed potatoes.
“Followed the recipe exactly as written and served over polenta. Outstanding!!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
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 while you build the sauce.
Step 2: Sauté the vegetables. 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.
Step 3: Add the wine. 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 4: Simmer the sauce and cook the chicken. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, honey, and salt, and simmer for 10 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices to the pot and cook for about 35 minutes, until tender and cooked through. Discard the skin (it adds flavor but gets soggy), and let the sauce simmer a bit longer to thicken. Return the chicken to the pot and simmer 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
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Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 4 lbs/1.8 kg), 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-in (6-mm) strips
- ¾ cup dry red wine (see note)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-oz) 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-qt/5-L) 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 to 170°F (74 to 77°C) 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.
Notes
- 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.
- 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/Freezing 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
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.
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This was wonderful! I used 10 thighs because that was what came in my pack (didn’t change the quantity of anything else), and it was still great. Thank you for doing what you do, Jenn, and for sharing such amazing recipes with us! I am grateful for you.
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this recipe was fantastic; chicken was moist and flavorful; gravy was perfect; will make this again. served w buttered noodles. Thanks
Nick 2/25/23
Just made this today and had great reviews from the family. Instead of cooking it on the stove for 35 minutes, I put the prepared mixture uncovered in the oven to braise at 325 for two hours. Thickened perfectly. Served with a spinach and chard side and mashed red potatoes. Filled the house with a wonderful aroma while it braised.
I have a binder filled with your fabulous recipes, Jenn!! And I love the cookbook-you make everything seem simple! Thanks so much!
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I’ve always wanted to make chicken cacciatore. My childhood best friend’s mom used to serve it for dinner when I was a kid — I loved it and have great memories of it. So glad I gave this a go. It was full of flavor and I loved how moist the chicken was. I will definitely be making this again!!
Unfortunately, I am very disappointed in preparing this recipe. My issue is that the sauce is too soupy – not thick enough! Would it be better if I simply just added 1 cup of broth. It does take a lot time and preparation and ended up with the watery sauce
Sorry this didn’t turn out well for you, John! Did you dredge the chicken in flour? If you try it again, you can always stir in a flour/softened butter paste at the end and it will thicken right up. I’d start with 1 tablespoon flour mashed with 1 tablespoon softened butter. Add to the sauce and bring to a simmer. Add more as necessary.
Thanks Jenn for your reply & advice. I was also thinking that I should have left the pan uncovered during the simmering / cooking phase. You may think about doing a article on tips in making a better sauce for guys like me
Much appreciated!
Made this for Valentines Dinner for two. Delicious!
I was out of honey and used brown sugar.
So good over polenta and paired with a nice Pinot noir. Thank you!
My husband adores this dish. As you point out it isn’t a quick meal but it made 4 dinners (2 in the freezer) for the 2 of us. Actually I thought it tasted even better heated (gently in the oven) the next day. Due to the cost of fresh herbs in Feb. I used dried. I suspect when my herb garden comes back this spring using fresh herbs from the garden will make it spectacular. .
Made this ahead one day for dinner for 8 – some picky eaters and some foodies – unanimous great reviews. Served it with the polenta recipe features – plated up so pretty. Thanks!
My partner and I absolutely loved this!!! I didn’t have red wine so I just added more chicken broth, and we ate it with quinoa which was delicious.
I made it ahead, and as other people said, it tasted even better when we reheated it to eat the next day!
Made this last night and it was fabulous! Did not have any wine or fresh sage but was still delicious. I did need extra oil because I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. Served with rice last night. Will serve with corn cakes tonight. Love all of your recipes I have made so far. Thanks!
This was excellent. Perfect for a cold New England night. I agree that it’s about 2 hours of work off and on, but I made it on a work-from-home day and was able to add and stir while on my laptop in the kitchen. Followed the recipe except used bone in chicken breast as I don’t like dark meat. I used a meat thermometer to take out the chicken when it got to temperature. I used 4 chicken breasts and had enough for a meal of 2 adults and 1 seven year old with lots of left overs.