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Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian stew made with chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions in tomato sauce with lots of herbs.
Delicious Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore is a hearty, rustic stew of chicken and vegetables braised in an Italian tomato sauce with generous amounts of herbs added for flavor.
This is truly one of the best meals to make when chilly weather arrives and you’re craving some filling and delicious comfort food to warm you through!
What is Cacciatore?
The word cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian – and in Italy, you might often find this dish made with rabbit and whatever garden vegetables and herbs you have on hand.
Different regions include other ingredients such as olives, wine, or anchovy paste. Our recipe today was inspired by a simple, yet very flavorful “peasant-style” recipe from The North End Italian Cookbook.
Although some Italian-American restaurants might serve Chicken Cacciatore with pasta – that choice is controversial. Many Italians will insist that this dish should only be served with crusty Italian bread on the side to soak up all of the sauce and juices.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken – Buy a whole chicken and cut it into pieces or buy individual bone-in, skin-on pieces. (Bone-in chicken will always have the most flavor!) You will need about three pounds total of chicken pieces. The original recipe we adapted used both white and dark meat, but if you want to use all dark meat, as many people do, that’s fine.
- Vegetables – We included fresh garlic, red bell peppers, green bell pepper, yellow onions, and button mushrooms.
- Tomatoes – You’ll use both tomato paste and whole peeled tomatoes.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Seasonings and Herbs – Kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, dry oregano, dry basil, and fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.
Cooking Tips
- Use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven with lid or other heavy pot to prepare this recipe. The cast iron will retain a lot of heat as the chicken and vegetable braise.
- Use an instant-read probe thermometer to test the internal temperature of the chicken for doneness.
- Feel free to add more tomato paste if you like a thicker sauce. As written, the sauce is somewhat thin to allow the flavors of the vegetables to shine through.
- If you prefer a zestier tomato sauce, increase the amount of red pepper flakes to suit your tastes.
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Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore is a rustic Italian stew made with chicken, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions in tomato sauce with lots of herbs.
Ingredients
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced thickly
3 pounds cut up chicken (if buying whole chicken to cut up, buy a five pound chicken)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
3 medium-to-large garlic cloves, smashed
2 large green bell peppers, cut into thick strips
2 large red bell peppers, cut into thick strips
2 large or 4 medium yellow onions, cut into thick strips (2 pounds)
1/4 cup tomato paste, or more if you like a thick sauce
1 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, slightly crushed by hand
Large pinch red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry basil
1/4 cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place empty Dutch oven over high heat. Once the pan is hot, add mushrooms without any fat. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until they are cooked, then remove them into a bowl.
- Add olive oil and turn heat to medium. Once hot, add smashed garlic and cook just until the garlic browns, then remove and dispose of the garlic. The oil is now garlic flavored.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- Brown half of the chicken pieces on both sides then remove to a plate. Add the second half and again, brown on both sides.
- Add the first batch back in, cover and cook on medium for about five minutes or until the chicken reaches 155 degrees F when poked with a probe thermometer.
- Stir in the bell peppers and yellow onion, cover, and cook until the peppers and onions are slightly cooked but not limp, for about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and stir in. Then add canned tomatoes, pepper flakes, oregano and basil and stir in.
- Cook over medium heat just until the sauce comes together, for about five minutes.
- At this point, if you like thicker sauce, add more tomato paste now. Also adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the cooked mushrooms and chopped parsley, stir and bring back to bubbling hot, then cover and turn off heat.
- Let sit covered for 15 minutes then serve.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Chicken Cacciatore ahead of time? Yes, you can – see reheating instructions below.
- How do I store leftovers? Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat Chicken Cacciatore? You can reheat individual portions in the microwave or reheat the entire recipe in the Dutch oven over a medium flame, stirring frequently so the chicken and vegetables heat through and to prevent the sauce from scorching in the bottom of the pan.
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This looks delicious.Can I make it with boneless & skinless chicken.One of my children wont eat anything with bones or skin attached.Also what would be a nice side be with this lovely dish.Im planning on SundayDo you think rice is ok & crusty rolls
Sure Michelle – You can adapt this for boneless chicken breasts or thighs – the cooking time will probably be less. Rice or pasta or even mashed potatoes would work with this recipe, plus crusty rolls. Enjoy!
Sounds great, I’ll have to try it. What is “A Family Feast”, a restaurant? Tell your husband that my mother came from Quebec, around Valcourt.Their name is Bombardier and are famous in that area.
Hi Linda – A Family Feast is just the name we chose for this website. (And I will tell Jack!) Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Most recipes I’ve seen/tried for cacciatore call for legs and thighs. In the photos, it looks like you’re using breasts. Do you and Jack have a preference one way or the other for the dish?
Hi Sam – We used a whole chicken cut into parts and like to have a mix of both the light and dark meat. In the photos, you’re right, the breasts are mostly visible but we did make this recipe using the legs and thighs as well! Hope you enjoy the recipe!