Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is easy, Italian comfort food. Chicken and peppers simmered in tomato sauce for a hearty meal. Serve with pasta, polenta or on its own.

Chicken Cacciatore is basically a rustic, Italian chicken dinner. I love it because it’s super simple to throw together, and it makes great leftovers. I serve it over pasta, polenta, risotto, or I’ve even eaten it plain and sopped up the sauce with a nice piece of crusty bread.

How To Make Chicken Cacciatore

To make Chicken Cacciatore, I like to use chicken thighs. I think boneless, skinless work out best, but traditionally this is a “hunter’s style” chicken (that’s what cacciatore means), so you can use a whole chicken cut into pieces or even chicken legs. It’s very versatile. You’ll just need about 2 pounds of chicken.

To make sure the chicken has texture, I like to sear the chicken before I build the sauce. This also helps lock in some of the juices. I find that a Dutch oven works best for cooking, it heats really evenly so the chicken sears nicely, but there’s enough room in the pot to make the sauce, too.

Another thing I love about this dish is the vegetables. It has onions, green bell peppers, and tomatoes in it, so I really don’t feel the need to make a vegetable for a side dish. There’s plenty in the Chicken Cacciatore. The onion and bell pepper get sauteed for a bit before the spices, seasoning and tomato products are added.

Once the chicken is added back into the sauce, I like to cover the pot with a lid to let it simmer for a while. It’s good to cook down the tomatoes so they are rid of that tin can flavor.

Once the dish is done, I serve it over whatever I feel like. It’s that easy!

Chicken Cacciatore

• Author: Christine Pittman
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Category: Entrée
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

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DESCRIPTION

Chicken Cacciatore is easy, Italian comfort food. Serve with pasta, polenta, or on its own.

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Ingredients

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• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven until hot.
2. Sear the chicken thighs until a nice brown crust is formed on each side. You may need to do this in batches so that it can brown instead of steaming. It will steam if it’s too crowded in the pan. Once the chicken is seared, remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate.
3. Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot and sauté until softened and slightly brown, about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.
6. Add the chicken back into the pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook until chicken is cooked through to 165°F, about 20 minutes.