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This Chicken Cacciatore Recipe brings the classic Italian “hunter-style” chicken to life with juicy chicken and lots of vegetables in a flavorful red wine sauce. This rustic one-pot meal is quick enough for busy weeknights and delicious enough for your best dinner party guests. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to soak up all that sauce.
Meggan’s notes
I love the idea of Cacciatore, a classic recipe that means “hunter’s stew.” The hunter can make this recipe from whatever he or she caught that day. In culinary school, we made cacciatore with rabbit!
Since I’m not a huge fan of rabbit, I updated the recipe to chicken and you’re absolutely going to love it. The juicy chicken, tomato sauce, pleothora of veggies, and spices in red wine is honestly so tasty, I made it 3 times in 2 weeks and still wanted more. It’s one of those simple, elegant meals that reminds you how satisfying home-cooking can be, even if you didn’t hunt the chicken yourself.
For a hearty meal, serve Chicken Cacciatore with pasta, rice, or crusty bread. Garnish the dish with parmesan cheese or fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or oregano.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Chicken: Aim for 1 ½ to 2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. If the thighs are large, plan on 1 per person.
- Onion: I like to julienne the onion in this recipe (slicing with the grain of the layers, not against), but it doesn’t really matter. Chopped is fine too.
- Mushrooms: I love the way mushroom halves soak up the flavor of the red wine. But, slicing them works too. If nobody likes mushrooms, omit them and add a second bell pepper. Or, add ½ cup green olives with the tomatoes in Step 4.
Step-by-step instructions
- Arrange the chicken pieces on a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet with a lid or a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Add the chicken skin-side down and sauté until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until browned on the second side, about 10 minutes total. Remove to a rimmed baking sheet or plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan and return to shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic and sprinkle with salt to help coax out the water. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the red wine, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and herbs, then add back the chicken. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until all the chicken pieces reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees when tested at their thickest parts, about 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a serving platter or bowl and tent with aluminum foil. Bring to the sauce to a boil over high heat and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Pour over the chicken to serve.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, 1 large chicken thigh each (or whatever breakdown of pieces you bought). You’ll also have 1 to ½ cups delicious vegetables per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Cool completely and pack into freezer-safe containers. Label, date, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat to 165 degrees on the stove or in the microwave.
- Chicken breast: To substitute chicken breasts, look for bone-in, skin-on breasts.
- More veggies: Customize your vegetables with carrots, celery, zucchini, or even eggplant. Whatever you foraged at the grocery store will work here.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Alla cacciatora” means “hunter’s style” in Italian and can apply to any meat-based dish prepared with vegetables in a wine sauce.
Serve chicken cacciatore with buttered noodles, any cooked pasta, cooked rice, or crusty bread. I also love it served with mashed potatoes!
You can use either red or white wine in your chicken cacciatore depending on your particular recipe or taste. Seek out a dry white wine if you decide to go that route. My recipe was tested with red wine.
Substitute chicken broth instead of white wine if desired.
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Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs about 4 large (see note 1)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion halved and sliced (see note 2)
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and sliced
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms halved or sliced (see note 3)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes or more to taste, optional
- 1 cup dry red wine such as cabernet or zinfandel
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained
Instructions
- Arrange the chicken pieces on a cutting board or rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until browned on the second side, about 10 minutes total. Remove to a rimmed baking sheet or plate.
- Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan and return to shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic and sprinkle with salt to help coax out the water. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the red wine, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and herbs, then add back the chicken.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until all the chicken pieces reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees when tested at their thickest parts, about 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken to a serving platter or bowl and tent with aluminum foil. Bring to the sauce to a boil over high heat and cook until the sauce thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Pour over the chicken to serve.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Chicken: Aim for 1 ½ to 2 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken. If the thighs are large, plan on 1 per person.
- Onion: I like to julienne the onion in this recipe (slicing with the grain of the layers, not against), but it doesn’t really matter. Chopped is fine too.
- Mushrooms: I love the way mushroom halves soak up the flavor of the red wine. But, slicing them works too. If nobody likes mushrooms, omit them and add a second bell pepper. Or, add ½ cup green olives with the tomatoes in Step 4.
- Yield: This recipe makes enough for 4 servings, 1 large chicken thigh each (or whatever breakdown of pieces you bought). You’ll also have 1 to ½ cups delicious vegetables per person.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.