Chicken Cacciatore

I’ve been making this easy chicken cacciatore recipe for decades, and this is a family-loved recipe handed down over the generations – it’s grandma’s chicken cacciatore!

Over the years, I’ve made some swaps, so it’s easy to make, gluten-free, and everyone loves it!

Other easy gluten-free Italian recipes worthy of Sunday dinner include this Sunday Sauce with Gluten-free Meatballs, Gluten-free Alfredo, Ragu alla Bolognese, Tagliatelle Carbonara, Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan and Gluten-free Baked Ziti.

Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe.

• Authentic, delicious taste. If you want all the flavors and aroma of an Italian restaurant, make chicken cacciatore.
• Simple ingredients. Boneless chicken thighs, peppers, onions, and tomatoes – it doesn’t get easier than that!
• Boneless (no bones). Authentic chicken cacciatore calls for a whole fryer chicken that simmers in the sauce all day, resulting in small bones throughout the finished recipe. I prefer a boneless chicken cacciatore, so I use boneless chicken thighs to keep the flavor but without the bones.
• Everything is made using just one pot. All ingredients cook in a dutch oven, or large pot, for easy preparation and cleanup!
• You can make cacciatore in the crockpot. If you want hands-off cooking, then get out your slow cooker! 
• It stores and reheats nicely. Chicken cacciatore tastes amazing the night it’s made, but it gets even better as it sits and the flavors combine. You can also freeze leftovers for dinner later on. 

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken thighs are the perfect choice for cacciatore. The chicken is tender, moist, and provides a ton of flavor, and I recommend purchasing high-quality organic chicken for the best taste!
• White onion, garlic, and green bell peppers are the flavor foundation for this recipe. 
• Any dry red wine will work, and I use cabernet or merlot. Josh Cellar is my favorite gluten-free wine.
• Canned crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. For best results, use San Marzano tomatoes. This type of tomato is from Italy and will elevate any Italian recipe. You can find San Marzano tomatoes next to the other canned tomatoes in the grocery store.
• Dried thyme and bay leaves. Instead of using Italian seasoning, my family uses dried thyme and bay leaves. I’ve kept this seasoning because it gives a uniquely delicious flavor to the cacciatore sauce. Of course, you can use a mix of dried oregano, basil, or other Italian herbs, and you can even stir in fresh basil at the end.

Supplies

• 5 ½ – 6-quart Dutch oven or large pot
• Bowls
• Large cooking spoons
• Storage Containers

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore

• Get all of the ingredients ready to cook the gluten-free chicken cacciatore recipe.
• Start by seasoning the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 5 ½ – 6-quart or pot over medium-high heat; cook the chicken thighs in batches once the oil is hot. With cooking in batches, you brown both sides of the chicken without steaming it.
• Cook the chicken thighs for 3-4 minutes on each side. You’re just browning the chicken; it will finish cooking in the sauce. Place the cooked chicken in a bowl while you cook the other ingredients.
• In the same pot, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Over medium heat, saute the onions until soft and transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Then, add in the peppers and mushrooms and cook until softened. Stir in the thyme and cook for another 30 seconds. 
• Pour in the red wine and let it cook for 2-3 minutes or reduced. While the wine is simmering, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. You’ll get a lot of flavor in those bits!
• Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. Give the sauce a few stirs, and return the chicken to the sauce. 
• Add the bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Let the sauce simmer on low for an hour. The chicken should be tender, moist, and falling apart, and the sauce should be a deep red color.
• Remove and discard the bay leaves.
• If needed, season with salt, then serve hot over gluten-free pasta or your favorite side.
• If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of chicken broth and stir.

How to Cook Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

If you want hands-off cooking, you’ll be happy to know that you can make slow cooker chicken cacciatore.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a dump-and-go slow cooker recipe. There are some extra steps, but I promise this will get the tastiest results.

Here are the instructions:

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large pot or pan and brown the thighs, about 3-4 minutes per side. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
• Cook the vegetables, seasoning, and wine using the same pot or pan. You’re following the exact directions that are in the stovetop directions. Pour the vegetables and wine mixture into the slow cooker with the chicken.
• Stir the tomatoes with the vegetables and chicken. Set the slow cooker to cook on low for 6-8 hours. I don’t recommend cooking over 6 hours with most slow cooker chicken recipes, but because this is a sauce recipe that uses thighs, 8 hours of cooking time is fine.
• After the recipe is done cooking, taste for salt, and serve hot with pasta or a side dish of your choice.

Gluten-free pasta with a side of gluten-free garlic bread is my first choice when eating a big bowl of cacciatore, but other gluten-free side dishes complement this rustic sauce.

• Roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes.
• Risotto or rice.
• ​Roasted or steamed vegetables.
• For lower carb options, choose cauliflower rice, cauliflower mash, zucchini noodles, or spaghetti squash.

Cooking Tips

• You can swap in chicken breast for the thighs. I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs, but if you want to reduce the amount of saturated fat, then chicken breasts will work. 
• Chicken breasts won’t provide the same deep flavor that you’ll get with thighs, but the sauce will still be tasty. Chicken breasts are also leaner so pay attention to the cooking time to prevent the meat from drying out.
• You can also use bone-in chicken thighs. After the cacciatore cooks, leave the chicken thighs whole or remove the meat from the bone and place it back into the sauce.
• You can use any gluten-free dry red wine in this recipe. Some cacciatore recipes call for white wine, but, in my opinion, red wine provides a deeper flavor. Don’t use cooking wine, and a good rule of thumb is to cook with wine you like to drink. 
• Add extra veggies to the recipe. Carrots, celery, and other hearty vegetables would work well in cacciatore. You can also add more peppers and mushrooms to bulk up the veggies in the recipe.
• You can substitute different peppers and mushrooms. Red, yellow, and orange peppers taste delicious in this recipe. I’ve also used baby portobello mushrooms many times! Of course, you’ll get slightly different flavors when substituting ingredients, but it will still be delicious. Some recipes even call for black olives or green olives for an extra layer of flavor.
• Make it spicy! Cacciatore isn’t a spicy recipe but if you want to add some kick, then sprinkle in red pepper flakes when you stir in the other spices.

Storage tips

This cacciatore recipe tastes even better the next day! It’s the perfect recipe to make on Sunday for the week or freeze.

To store

• Place the leftover cacciatore sauce into glass storage containers and refrigerate. It will last for up to 3 – 4 days. After that, I recommend freezing it. 
• A tip is to portion it out with pasta into individual containers. Keep the pasta separate from the sauce so it doesn’t get mushy. During the week, heat it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Mix the pasta and sauce, and dinner is ready!

To freeze

Chicken cacciatore is one of the best recipes to freeze, and there are a few different ways to freeze this recipe. 

• First, you can put the sauce into a labeled freezer bag, flatten it out, and freeze it. After it’s frozen, place it wherever you want in the freezer. Flattening out the bag helps if there’s not a lot of room in the freezer.
• My favorite way to freeze sauce is to use silicone trays to freeze into one or 2-cup portions. 
• To warm up, add the sauce to a pan and heat over low to medium temp until hot.
• You can also create a freezer meal using 2-cup silicone trays. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom, 1-cup of cooked pasta on top of the sauce, and freeze. After it’s frozen, remove it from the tray and put it into a large freezer bag to freeze.
• Warm the freezer meal up in the microwave for 4-5 minutes or until hot. Stir the pasta and sauce together, then enjoy!