Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (Pollo alla Cacciatora)

5 from 12 votes

Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (Pollo alla Cacciatora)

This Best Chicken Cacciatore Recipe (Pollo alla Cacciatora) is a delightful Italian comfort food that you can quickly whip up on the stovetop or let simmer in your crockpot. Featuring fall-apart tender chicken, olives, fresh herbs, in a robust tomato sauce, it's packed with aromatic Italian flavors that the whole family will love.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken, gluten-free, tomato sauce

Servings: servings

Calories: 475kcal

Author: Lora

Equipment

1 Large skillet
1 Slow cooker

Ingredients

6 to 8 skinless chicken thighs and/or thighs (thighs can be boneless) if using thighs, make sure excess skin trimmed
2 tsps sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
1 small red onion finely sliced (or Vidalia, sweet or a shallot)
1 small carrot minced
3 ribs celery minced
2 large garlic cloves minced
½ cup red wine that you would drink
3 sage leaves
1 heaped teaspoon fresh rosemary minced (just the leaves not the stems)
1 28-ounce can cherry tomatoes with juice, diced or whole plum tomatoes are fine also
½ cup taggiasca olives or pitted black olives

Instructions

Sear chicken and start the sauce:

Sprinkle the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy sauté pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 5 minutes each side. Sear the chicken in batches if it doesn't fit into your pan. Remove seared chicken from skillet and set aside.
Sauté the onion until transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the diced carrots, celery and stir to combine with the onions. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add in the olives and herbs; cook for 5 minutes until vegetables cook and soften a bit.
Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine, with a wooden spoon scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Add tomatoes and stir to combine. With your wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes while you stir them. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Return chicken pieces to the skillet and continue and coat them with the sauce. Partially cover the pan with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little bit of water if the sauce is thickening too much.
Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Simmer until chicken is cooked:

Remove the lid for the rest of the cooking, which is approximately 25 minutes. Keep simmering and stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened. The chicken is ready when it's fall off the bone tender and reaches an internal temperature of 165F / 74C . Chicken breasts will take longer to cook. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter.

Serve:

Spoon off any excess fat from the top of the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve. Enjoy!
Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. Spoon off any excess fat from the top of the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve. Enjoy!

For the oven:

Follow recipe for the beginning steps. Brown the chicken and add in the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir and soften a little. Add in the wine, tomatoes, herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the oven-safe covered skillet to a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C) and cook for 50 minutes. Remove the lid, add in the olives and give it a stir. Cook for an additional 10 minutes until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F / 74C. The sauce will be thick and glossy. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!

For the slow cooker:

Follow recipe for the beginning steps. In a large skillet, brown the chicken and add in the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir and soften a little. Add in the wine, tomatoes, herbs and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a 6qt slow cooker bowl in single layer.
Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Add in the olives during the last 30 minutes that it's cooking and stir to combine.
Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Cook in the oven: Chicken cacciatore can be made in the oven or in a slow cooker. If you choose to make in the oven, you have to sear the chicken first in a skillet stove-top. I explain in recipe the steps.
Slow cooker: To make in a Crock Pot, just as you would stove top. You need to first sear the chicken stove-top in a skillet, then follow rest of the recipe.
Chicken is cooked: It is ready when the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F (74C). You will see it is tender and falls off the bone.
Wine: Adding wine to the sauce is totally optional. Do use a wine you would actually drink. Red is ideal, but white would also work fine. Use broth if you do not have wine on hand.
To store: Keep any leftovers of Chicken Cacciatore in an airtight container and can be kept for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. It should be totally cooled down before storing in the freezer. Keep in a large zipped lock freezer bag or freezer safe storage container for up to 2 months.

Nutrition