Chicken Cacciatore
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Tender chicken simmered in a rich red wine and tomato sauce with plenty of vegetables—this chicken cacciatore recipe is just the thing for a cozy dinner.
Chicken cacciatore, or “hunter’s chicken,” is a rustic Italian dish of chicken braised with tomatoes, wine, vegetables, and herbs. Traditionally, it’s made with a whole chicken cut into pieces, but for my chicken cacciatore recipe, I use only bone-in thighs. They’re inexpensive, cook evenly, and stay incredibly tender as they simmer in the rich red wine and tomato sauce.
Mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs round out the sauce, and the whole dish is even better after the flavors have had some time to mingle. Serve it over creamy polenta, Parmesan smashed potatoes, or pasta to catch every bit of the sauce. It’s old-fashioned Italian comfort food at its best.
“Followed the recipe exactly as written and served over polenta. Outstanding!!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Ideal for a long braise because they stay juicy and tender. The skin helps flavor the sauce as the chicken cooks; you’ll remove it before serving.
- Flour: A light coating helps the chicken brown nicely and also gives the sauce a bit of body.
- Onion, garlic, mushrooms & red bell peppers: Form the vegetable base of the cacciatore. The mushrooms add savory depth, while the peppers bring sweetness and color.
- Dry red wine: Adds depth and acidity to the sauce. Use an inexpensive wine that’s still good enough to drink, such as Pinot Noir, Chianti, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon, and avoid cooking wine.
- Chicken broth, diced tomatoes & tomato paste: Create the rich, savory braising sauce. Fire-roasted or regular diced tomatoes both work well.
- Sage, rosemary & oregano: Give the sauce its woodsy, Italian flavor. Fresh sage and rosemary are especially nice in a long-simmered dish like this.
- Honey: Just a tablespoon rounds out the acidity of the tomatoes and wine without making the sauce taste sweet.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To make Chicken Cacciatore
Prep and brown the chicken: Pat the chicken dry, season it, and lightly dredge it in flour. Brown the thighs in batches until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and pour off all but a couple tablespoons of the rendered fat. Don’t rush the browning—it builds the foundation of flavor for the sauce.
Once it’s browned, move it to a plate and set it aside while you build the sauce.
Cook the vegetables: Add the onions and cook until softened and just beginning to brown, then add the garlic and cook briefly without letting it brown. Add the mushrooms and bell peppers and continue cooking until they begin to soften.
Add and reduce the wine: Pour in the red wine and bring it to a boil, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine cook down until it has mostly evaporated; reducing it concentrates the flavor and cooks off its raw edge.
Build the sauce and braise the chicken: Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, honey, and remaining salt, and let the sauce simmer briefly so the flavors begin to come together. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, spoon some of the sauce over the top, then cover and gently simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
Finish the sauce: Transfer the chicken to a plate and simmer the sauce uncovered until it thickens to your liking. Remove and discard the chicken skin, then return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot and spoon the thickened sauce over the top. Garnish with parsley, if you like, and serve.
Serve: Spoon the chicken and plenty of sauce over creamy polenta, mashed potatoes, or pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley, if you like, and serve hot.
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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Good but missed the black olives and capers I’ve had in other recipes. They give a bit of umami.
This was delicious! I didn’t use rosemary or sage because I don’t like the flavor, but the sauce was rich and unbelievably flavorful without them. I served it over linguini. This is a keeper. Thanks Jenn.
Wow! What wonderful flavors! I made this a few nights ago. The chicken was so tender and delicious. We enjoyed it with mashed potatoes. It was the perfect meal on a cold and rainy December night.
Incredible! So so flavorful. Jenn is right – use a good red wine. I will definitely be making this one again.
This is the best chicken cacciatore I have ever eaten! I paired it with creamy polenta and had to hold myself back not to eat the whole pot. The recipe makes a lot, enough for a dinner party of six or so. Add some crusty bread and a salad and you have a restaurant quality meal. Can’t wait to have people over to make this for them!
Delicious!!!!! Followed recipe to a T- wow! Next time I’ll add more mushrooms (personal taste) Made Jenn’s creamy polenta to serve with chicken…mmmmm! The chicken and polenta go very well together. Great food to make and serve on a cold winters day.
Fantastic!
Can this be made with boneless, skinless thighs?
Hi Chad, I haven’t tried it but you’d like to, 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. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Yet another perfect recipe from Jenn! We had this for dinner last night. It was the leftovers I’d frozen from the last time I made it. Absolutely delicious! I’m not sure what I’d do without your recipes….. they make me a far better cook!
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What a delicious dinner! My whole family loved it. Extremely flavorful and comforting. I will definitely be making this again.