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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Second time making this Cacciatore recipe. This is a keeper for sure. I subbed white wine for red and served with pappardelle. So good!
Have you ever added olives to this recipe? I have a recipe that I enjoy and is similar but has olives which my family loves but Id like to try this recipe. If I add the olives do you think it would add too much acidity with the peppers already present?
I think it would be perfectly fine to add some olives to this. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jen,
I made this and it was a huge hit with my family. I have a potluck coming up with friends and wonder if you have a crock pot version. Thanks!
Susan
Hi Susan, Yes, I think you could make this in a slow cooker. I’d add everything to the slow cooker after you’ve browned the chicken and sauteed the veggies. I don’t have a slow cooker so I’m not sure how long it will take. (You may want to do a little research about that.) I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
I’ve made other recipes on this site that my family has really enjoyed. Because of all the great reviews, I decided to give this one a try. While this recipe was good, I didnt think it was worth the time it took to make it. I probably won’t make this again but I’m glad others have enjoyed it.
Made this for dinner this evening and have to say it was great – very tasty and looks amazing too. It was easy to follow the recipe and well worth it for the result. We had with rice, but I’d love to try making Polenta.
Another dish I will definitely add to repertoire. Thank you, Jenn!
I’m planning to make this recipe tomorrow for Sunday dinner. Just wondering, why do you remove the skin on the chicken thighs (after trimming and all so nicely)?
Also recipe says eight chicken thighs (3.5-4 lbs of chicken). I have eight thighs but combined they are about 2.6 lbs of chicken. Should I use a couple more thighs for this recipe?
Hi Jane, I think I’m weighing in too late to help, but if for some reason you didn’t make the dish last night, the skin protects the meat while cooking and also adds flavor, but it gets kind of flabby and unappealing during cooking, so that’s why I suggest removing it. And, sure, I’d add thighs to the recipe.
Made this for my mother’s birthday dinner last night. It was spectacular! Everyone from the 2 yr old to the birthday girl said it was delicious. I added zucchini per her request, delicious. I will definitely make this again!
can i use bone in chicken breasrs?
i have 4 that i thawed… and i could buy a few extra dark meat pieces
Sure – just be careful to not overcook them. Enjoy!
As always, an excellent recipe!!
I made this dish tonight for dinner, with a few challenges; I only needed a half recipe, and my wife has a thing about dark meat (so sad…). I also did not hace quite the right pan, which impacted my process and results. I halved all ingredients.
I cooked 1 breast and 3 thighs. I had a 4 qt dutch oven and a 7 qt dutch oven. the base of the smaller one would not even allow 2 thighs to lay flat, so I opted for the 7 qt one. Over all, this presented an issue because the large surface area and my smaller number of pieces of meat meant that liquid evaporated off during the simmer much faster than it probably should have.
I watched the meat with a thermometer, and the breast had to come out about 15-20 minutes before the thighs reached temperature, so when Jenn warns against overcooking breasts in this recipe, take heed!
At the end, I had a *very* thick sauce…too thick, and a lot of really brown bits on the bottom of the pan (probably due to the lack of moisture). I ended up adding probably another 1/3 cup of wine (it slipped 🙁 ) and 1/2-3/4 cup of chicken broth just to loosen it up. It came out pretty good, pretty intense flavors, but very dark.
Next time I will use my 6qt stainless soup pot or something.
This dish is phenomenal. I’ve been wanting to make it since you featured it in a recent newsletter, and it was even better than I imagined. I would be proud to serve it to guests, but it’s also easy enough to make a big batch and put some portions in the freezer for later. The flavors are so deep and balanced, but it’s not heavy. We loved it! I’m so grateful that any time I’m looking for a recipe, I know your version will be outstanding. Thank you!!
💜
Hi Jen. Do you “have to” brown the chicken first? I’m making this for 18 people so that’s a time consuming first step lol. If you take the skin off before serving, why bother browning in the first place? Is it just to add some flavour to the sauce? Just looking for a shortcut if possible!
Hi Kerrie, the browning is a pretty important step here for a couple reasons. It creates flavorful fat in the pan that the veggies will cook in, adds flavor to the skin (that will get infused into the liquid while the dish cooks), and creates browned bits on the bottom of the pan/skillet that create a ton of flavor. Sorry!
This recipe was fantastic! The chicken turned out incredibly tender and juicy. The first night, I paired it with a Caesar salad and some crusty French bread. For leftovers, I served it over pasta, and it was just as delicious. What a treat!