Italian comfort food at its best! Chicken Cacciatore is a stew of tender chicken and vegetables simmered in a spicy marinara and served over pasta. Use my tips and tricks to make it an easy weeknight meal that’s ready in minutes!
Ingredients for this recipe: chicken (breast, thighs, or bone in), garlic, green pepper, yellow pepper, onion, Ro*Tel tomatoes, Marinara sauce ( I used Newman’s Own Sockarooni sauce), mushrooms, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel, red wine, linguine or spaghetti, Parmesan cheese
Table of Contents
I don’t know anyone who could take a bite of Chicken Cacciatore and not feel all calm, safe, and snuggly on the inside. This is real comfort food – o.k. maybe not to a vegetarian…
Cozy Comfort Food
Cozy, homemade Chicken Cacciatore is one of those dishes that makes you smile no matter how bad the day has been. Tender pieces of chicken and vegetables are simmered in a spicy sauce and then served over pasta for a homey, rustic meal that’s hard to beat.
This is the stuff pulled straight out of one of my vintage cookbooks. A recipe that is quick, easy, makes the house smell amazing – and will even make you feel like Donna Reed.
Cacciatore = Hunter Style Chicken
Cacciatore means Hunter Style.
Originally it was made from stuff the hunter found while he was out gathering dinner – wild mushrooms, rabbit or game birds, wild garlic, and other things all mixed together and stewed.
Well, by the time 1950s came a long it was often an insipid mixture of chicken simmered in spaghetti sauce, at least in the middle class neighborhood I grew up in. If that’s what you are thinking of please put it out of your mind…
This chicken cacciatore is comfort food with plenty of garlic, onions, and herbs in a sauce that is generous enough to dip warm bread into. You can make this on top of the stove if you want to make it quickly but you can also dump the ingredients into a crock-pot and enjoy the scent all day long.
I swear, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Tips for the Best Chicken Cacciatore Ever
You can use any chicken you like – some people use a cut up, bone-in chicken while others prefer thighs or breast.
- Thighs will be more tender and flavorful plus they cost less than breast.
- Starting with a commercial pasta sauce speeds up the process.
- If you’re really in a hurry use a rotisserie chicken. Cut it into serving pieces and let it simmer in the sauce while you are cooking the pasta.
- You’ll find containers of chopped peppers, onions, and other vegetables in the produce section. They can be HUGE time savers.
- Add leftover vegetables. Carrots, green beans, and peas all work well in this cacciatore recipe.
- You can use chicken broth in place of wine.
- Leftover sauce will keep about 4 days in the refrigerator (tightly covered, of course) or about 3 months in the freezer.
- Never store dishes with tomato sauce in anything aluminum. It reacts and give the dish an off flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Here are the most commonly asked questions about this recipe. If you don’t find the answer to yours here leave a comment below or email me – I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
What is traditionally served with chicken cacciatore?
This beloved Italian dish is most often served with pasta but it can also be served with polenta. Add a crisp salad, a baguette, and a bottle of red wine and you’re ready to go!
How long does chicken cacciatore last in the fridge?
Tightly covered in a plastic or glass dish it will last about 4 days.
What kind of wine goes with chicken cacciatore?
A Chianti or Merlot – something red and fruity.
Chicken Cacciatore Says “You’re Safe”
Here’s the thing. I love this dish served on one of the first chilly nights in autumn, with the fire crackling and the family at the table. It makes me think of Badger in Wind of the Willows, the descriptions of dinners in Farmer Boy, The Hobbit, and so many other books I have loved.
I probably should have known that I was a foodie from the earliest years of my life. I always read the food descriptions over and over again until I knew them by heart. It was if I was actually in the book, smelling the aroma of the food and enjoying the company of the characters. A crackling fire always makes me think of Badger’s house.
The kindly Badger thrust them down on a settle to toast themselves at the fire, and bade them remove their wet coats and boots. Then he fetched them dressing-gowns and slippers, and himself bathed the Mole’s shin with warm water and mended the cut with sticking-plaster till the whole thing was just as good as new, if not better. In the embracing light and warmth, warm and dry at last, with weary legs propped up in front of them, and a suggestive clink of plates being arranged on the table behind, it seemed to the storm-driven animals, now in safe anchorage, that the cold and trackless Wild Wood just left outside was miles and miles away, and all that they had suffered in it a half- forgotten dream.
O.k… so no mention of chicken cacciatore there, but the feeling that paragraph evokes in me is the same feeling I get when I eat comfort food like this recipe. I think that is what good food is about – similar to a book or a movie it creates a moment in your life that you come back to over and over again.
What to Serve
Serve this chicken cacciatore with a good red wine, plenty of garlic bread for sopping up any extra sauce (it keeps you from actually licking the plate), some steamed and buttered broccoli, and vanilla pudding for dessert.
Don’t forget to sprinkle the top liberally with Parmesan! Not quite what you’re looking for? Try this Southwestern Chicken Pasta Skillet
More Great Chicken Recipes
Here are more of my favorites from Restless Chipotle!
- Smothered Chicken is a southern classic! Golden brown chicken is smothered in a savory chicken gravy and simmered until it’s butter tender.
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is a big bowl of creamy goodness filled with corn, chicken, white beans, and other yummy things then simmered in a creamy, rich sauce that will have your family licking their plates.
- Bourbon Chicken recipe is sweet and sticky with lots of tender, juicy chicken enveloped in a tangy, slightly spicy sauce. Make it on top of the stove or in the slow cooker.
- Chicken Divan is so easy to make with purchased puff pastry shells! It looks elegant and is perfect for brunches, showers, and teas.
You May Need…
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If you’re going to make this on top of the stove a cast iron frying pan is invaluable!
Easy Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Please try this and let me know what you think. I’ll eventually get around to posting a recipe for real Chicken Cacciatore that even Gordon Ramsey would approve of – until then? This is not gourmet, fancy, or expensive. It’s just pretty dang good.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!
Chicken Cacciatore
Print Add to CollectionEquipment Needed
- Cast Iron Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken, breast, thighs, or whole chicken cut up
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped
- 14 ounces Ro*Tel diced tomatoes, 1 can
- 12 ounces Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce, or other marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup mushrooms, optional. Thickly sliced
- 2 tablespoons oregano, fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoons basil, fresh or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 2 tablespoons fennel leaves, minced… optional
- 1/2 cup red wine, Chianti is perfect
- 1 lb pasta, linguine or spaghetti
Instructions
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large high sided frying pan.
- Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and saute until limp – about 2 minutes.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the chicken to the pan (and a little more oil if you need it) and brown it quickly.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the fresh herbs.
- Cover, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the meat is tender and done. Stir it occasionally to keep it from sticking and ensure the sauce doesn't scorch.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water until a la dente (just tender – not overcooked)
- Drain well.
- Spoon sauce over cooked pasta and serve.
Slow Cooker Instructions
- If you are going to make this in a slow cooker just put all of the ingredients except the fresh herbs and pasta in the Crock-pot.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Add the fresh herbs just before serving.
Notes
- Thighs will be more tender and flavorful plus they cost less than breast.
- Starting with a commercial pasta sauce speeds up the process.
- If you’re really in a hurry use a rotisserie chicken. Cut it into serving pieces and let it simmer in the sauce while you are cooking the pasta.
- You’ll find containers of chopped peppers, onions, and other vegetables in the produce section. They can be HUGE time savers.
- Add leftover vegetables. Carrots, green beans, and peas all work well in this cacciatore recipe.
- You can use chicken broth in place of wine.
- Leftover sauce will keep about 4 days in the refrigerator (tightly covered, of course) or about 3 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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Mmmmmmm I want a big plate of this! Pass some my way 🙂
🙂 So good on a chilly day!
Such great comfort food and I’ll bet the addition of the fennel leaves is fabulous!
I love that excerpt from the Badger! It’s perfect. And so is this cacciatore! I want some like right now!
This is absolutely my kind of comfort food. What a fabulous recipe.
I love comfort food and this chicken cacciatore looks perfect for a chilly winter night. What are fennel leaves? I often use braised fennel and fennel seeds and fronds, but don’t think I’ve seen fennel with leaves on it.
I never thought of Chicken Cacciatore as a meal of hunters until now – it’s making me want it even more!!
Chicken cacciatore is a classic that never goes out of style, it’s one of my all-time favorites. Can’t wait to try your version!
This looks amazing! Perfect comfort food 🙂
Thanks Taylor – it really is.
My mouth is watering too! How delish and so comforting!
It’s so good. 🙂 Definitely comfort food.
Chicken Cacciatore is a great dish for this time of year. I love all the flavors of the veggies in this dish. Delicious!
Thanks Ali!