Easy chicken cacciatore recipe made with chicken, mushroom, bell peppers, herbs and tomatoes. Italian hunter-style meal prepared with chicken simmered in a tomato-based sauce. Made in one-pot, on the stovetop, within an hour. Serve it with rustic bread, rice or pasta.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 350kcal
Author: Preeti
Equipment
Heavy bottom skillet
Ingredients
For the chicken
500gramchickenlarger cuts
salt to taste
½teaspoonblack pepper powder
For Cacciatore sauce
1oniondiced
1Green bell pepperdiced
1red bell pepperdiced
100gramwhite button mushroomdiced
4garlic clovesfinely chopped
1teaspoonblack pepper powder
salt to taste
¼teaspoonred pepper flakesoptional
½teaspoonItalian seasoning(or use 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried thyme and ¼ teaspoon rosemary.)
1cuplow sodium chicken brothor vegetable broth or use red/white wine
2cupscrushed tomatoesI used homemade. Recipe in the notes or use 1 can of pureed tomatoes.
Instructions
Season the chicken with salt & pepper. Set this aside.
Heat 2 tablespoon of oil in a skillet/deep bottom pan over high heat.
Sear the chicken until golden (2-3 minutes) on each side.
Remove and set this aside. Cover to keep it warm.
In the same pan, add onions, and bell peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushroom and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes.
Add black pepper powder, salt, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning. Saute it for a minute.
Next, add chicken broth and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Let it come to a boil.
Taste and add salt, if required.
Add the chicken to the sauce.
Reduce the heat, partially cover and cook it for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir it in between, if required.
Chicken Cacciatore is ready. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Video
Notes
Do not skip garlic in the recipe. Fresh garlic adds so much flavor to the dish.
Sear the chicken until some brown spots appear on them. You do not need to cook them. They will get cooked later while simmering in the sauce.
Simmer the sauce for a minimum of 30 minutes until it thickens. Cooking on low heat enhances the flavor of the dish.
This dish tastes even better the next day as the flavors get enough time to mingle.
For this recipe, you can use either diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, or tomato paste.
I have used 2 cups of homemade crushed tomatoes. Simply blanch (500-grams) tomatoes, remove the skin and grind it in a mixer/grinder jar. You can grind it coarse or fine.