Easy Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

Easy Chicken Cacciatore recipe with tender chicken and mushrooms cooked in a rustic tomato sauce is classic comfort food.

Looking for more easy dinner recipes? I think you’ll love my Classic Lasagna, Spaghetti Sauce, Alfredo Sauce, and Pasta Fagioli.

This chicken cacciatore is perfect when you are wanting a comforting meal. It is one that I can always depend on my whole family enjoying and guests asking for the recipe!

Why I Love This Recipe

• Delicious Dinner Recipe – This recipe makes a flavorful meal great for serving as a family meal or when serving guests.
• Easy One Dish Meal – Ready in less than an hour, this is an easy meal made in one skillet!
• Make Ahead and Freezer Friendly – Perfect for making ahead to have on hand for busier weeknight or to freeze for later.

What is Chicken Cacciatore?

Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian comfort food. The English translation of cacciatore is hunter or huntsman. In food preparation, this generally means cooking a rustic meal of tomatoes, onions, and peppers along with chicken or even rabbit.

Use whatever type of chicken your family loves – chicken thighs, legs, breasts, or even a combination – browned and then cooked in the flavorful, rustic tomato-based sauce. The sauce is made of onions, celery, garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper, and crushed tomatoes, all simmered with herbs and seasonings.

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients

To make this easy chicken cacciatore recipe, you’ll need the following ingredients.

• Olive oil
• Chicken – use whatever cut of chicken you prefer. I love to use chicken thighs, legs, or breasts.
• Salt and pepper
• Onion – adds flavor to the recipe.
• Celery – adds texture and flavor.
• Garlic – this recipe uses minced garlic cloves. You can substitute the garlic, salt, and pepper with 1 1/2 teaspoons of Stone House Seasoning if you prefer.
• Parsley – you can use fresh chopped parsley or dried parsley.
• Rosemary – you can use fresh rosemary or dried rosemary.
• Red pepper flakes – adds flavor and a bit of warm spice to the recipe. If you are sensitive to spicy dishes, you can leave this out.
• Mushrooms – sliced mushrooms are so delicious in this recipe.
• Bell pepper – adds flavor and texture to the recipe. I prefer to use green bell pepper in this dish.
• Chicken stock or broth – adds a rich, deep flavor to the final dish.
• Crushed tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes are preferred, but if you don’t have crushed tomatoes, you can use small diced tomatoes or even tomato sauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Brown the chicken. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Then, add the chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 3 to 5 minutes, before turning onto the other side and browning. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. Repeat until all of the chicken has been browned.

Saute onion, celery and garlic. Reduce the heat to the skillet and add the remaining olive oil to the skillet. Stir in the onion, celery and garlic and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 3 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients. Add the parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Add the chicken stock and crushed tomatoes.

Reduce the sauce. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half.

Add back the chicken. Reduce the heat to low, add the chicken and juices from the plate back into the skillet.

Cover and cook. cover and cook until the chicken registers 165ºF when checked with an internal meat thermometer. Remove from the heat and serve.

We love to eat it with brown rice, white rice, noodles, on top of mashed potatoes, or with a slice of crusty bread!

Storage Tips

To make ahead. Prepare the recipe as instructed. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four to five days. When ready to serve, reheat on the stove or in the microwave until the chicken registers 165º F when checked with an internal meat thermometer.

To store leftover chicken cacciatore. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for four to five days. When ready to serve, reheat on the stove or in the microwave until the chicken registers 165º F when checked with an internal meat thermometer.

To freeze chicken cacciatore. Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Label and freeze for up to three months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat and serve following the instructions for make ahead chicken cacciatore.

Here’s my Chicken Cacciatore Recipe. I hope your family loves it as much as we do!

Enjoy!
Robyn xo