Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore
This Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore recipe is comforting, hearty, and perfect for cooler weather. This is my non-traditional take on the classic Italian Cacciatore, which can be more complex with more tomato, red wine, and fewer vegetables. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts to make the process easier and appease the picky eaters in the family. My version is heavy on vegetables, and this recipe’s tomato sauce is incredibly flavorful. My tomato base is lighter; I use white wine and chicken broth for a thinner yet highly flavorful sauce. You and your family love it! Also, this is a lovely dinner to serve to dinner guests. Start with a beautiful Antipasto, add a salad, and this is a slam dunk!
Table of contents
Chicken Cacciatore: Traditional vs. Modern
Traditional Italian Cacciatore can be made of chicken or rabbit. Cacciatore translates to “hunter”. This dish is considered a more rustic, braised dish with vegetables, spices, and meat. In the American style of chicken cacciatore, we typically use chicken with bone-in and skin on. This, of course, intensifies the flavor immensely. My Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore is a more modern take on the traditional recipe, using skinless, boneless chicken with an edited list of herbs and extra vegetables. I also use white wine in this recipe, whereas red wine is used in other versions. This is an Italian dish where each region has nuances that make it their own.
Ingredients for Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore
- 3 pounds chicken, skinless, boneless thighs and breasts (breasts cut in half)
- 1/2 cup flour all-purpose, for dredging
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 whole red pepper cored and sliced
- 1 whole green pepper cored and sliced
- 1/2 whole red onion sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, whole (white, cremini, baby Bellas) halved or quartered
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine dry
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5oz can (Italian-style diced tomatoes work great in this recipe)
- 1 tablespoon of concentrated tomato paste
- 1 cup olives, whole, green or black, pitted and unstuffed (I prefer pitted, Castrelvano)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning dry
- 1 teaspoon basil dry
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 whole bay leaf dry
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided (1 teaspoon for the chicken and 1 teaspoon for the sauce)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable Prep
The vegetables take a little bit of preparation but you can always purchase pre-sliced vegetables to make the process faster when cooking this recipe during the weeknights. I chop the vegetables while I’m browning the chicken pieces and the vegetables are usually done just about the time the chicken is browned.
- Bell peppers: Seeds and membrane removed and cut into strips
- Mushrooms: cleaned and halved or quartered (depending on the size)
- Onion: peeled and cut into 8 wedges
- Garlic: peeled and roughly chopped
- Olives: left whole or halved, pits removed (I prefer pitted, Castrelvano olives)
Stovetop method
- Prepare the vegetables: bell peppers should be cored and sliced. Slice the red onion. Clean and halve or quarter mushrooms.
- Peel and roughly chop garlic. Set aside.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and season with salt on both sides.
- Lightly dredge chicken in the flour. Gently shake off excess flour from the chicken pieces and set aside.
- Preheat the pan over medium heat. Add olive oil to a large 5-7 quart braiser or Dutch oven with a lid and heat until oil is glistening.
- Brown both sides of each piece of chicken until it’s golden. Set aside. (The chicken will complete the cooking in the braising process.)
- Using the same pan that the chicken was browned in, add vegetables and garlic, and a little more olive if needed.
- Sauté vegetables for about 2-3 minutes until they turn bright in color.
- Add white wine and deglaze any bits from the chicken and vegetables—about 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, Italian seasoning, dried basil, bay leaf, fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes, remaining salt and pepper. Stir mixture until combined.
- Nestle chicken pieces into the vegetables and broth.
- Place the lid on the braiser or Dutch oven and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Check after 30 minutes to ensure the chicken and vegetables are tender and cooked through.
- Serve with your choice of side and some crusty bread.
Slow cooker method for Chicken Cacciatore
This recipe is easy to adapt for a slow cooker. I recommend browning the chicken before adding it to the slow cooker. I suggest using a 6-8 quart slow cooker.
- Pat the chicken dry and season with salt on both sides.
- Using a large 5-quart braiser or Dutch oven, add olive oil and heat until the oil is hot.
- Lightly dredge chicken in the flour and brown each piece until golden. Set aside. You need not worry if it’s fully cooked. It will finish cooking with the vegetables.
- In a 6-8 quart slow cooker crock, add vegetables, chicken broth, white wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried basil, bay leaf, rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and nestle chicken pieces into the mixture.
- Place the lid onto the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low.
What to serve with Chicken Cacciatore
This Easy Chicken Cacciatore is lovely with creamy polenta. This is my favorite way of serving my Chicken Cacciatore. Other great options are buttered tagliatelle noodles, zucchini noodles, or buttery mashed potatoes. This dish has lots of vegetables and warm crusty bread is perfect too and enjoyed like a stew. It’s a versatile dish that works well with almost any starchy base.
How to store leftovers
Leftovers are easy to store and taste so good the next day! You can either portion the leftovers or save them in a container with an airtight lid. Leftovers are good for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
To reheat, place leftover Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore in a pot or pan, covered. Reheat thoroughly on the stovetop on medium-low heat until both chicken and vegetables are completely heated through.
Looking for another Chicken dish? Try our Simple Herb Roast Chicken, One Pan Artichoke Chicken Bake, One Pan Lemon Rosemary Chicken and Rice, Easy Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice or the BEST Chicken Pesto Meatballs.
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Easy Boneless Chicken Cacciatore
February 4, 2020Equipment
- 1 braiser or dutch oven with lid 5-7 quarts
- 1 Slow cooker (if using this method)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken, skinless, boneless thighs and breasts (breasts halved)
- 1/2 cup flour all-purpose, for dredging
- 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 whole red pepper cored and sliced
- 1 whole green pepper cored and sliced
- 1/2 whole red onion sliced into quarters
- 8 ounces mushrooms, whole (white, cremini, baby Bellas) halved or quartered
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 cup white wine dry
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth
- 14.5 can diced tomatoes Italian-style diced tomatoes work great in this recipe
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste concentrated
- 1 cup olives whole, green or black, pitted and unstuffed
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning dry
- 1 teaspoon basil dry
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 1 whole bay leaf dry
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: bell peppers should be cored and sliced. Slice the red onion. Clean and halve or quarter mushrooms. Roughly chop garlic. Set aside.
- Using paper towels, pat the chicken dry and season with salt on both sides.
- Lightly dredge chicken in the flour. Gently shake off excess flour from the chicken pieces and set aside.
- Preheat the pan over medium heat. Add olive oil to a large 5-7 quart braiser or Dutch oven with a lid and heat until oil is glistening.
- Brown both sides of each piece of chicken until it's golden. Set aside. (The chicken will complete the cooking in the braising process.)
- Using the same pan that the chicken was browned in, add vegetables and garlic, and a little more olive if needed.
- Sauté vegetables for about 2-3 minutes until they turn bright in color.
- Add white wine and deglaze any bits from the chicken and vegetables—about 1 minute.
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, Italian seasoning, dried basil, bay leaf, fresh rosemary, red pepper flakes, remaining salt and pepper. Stir mixture until combined.
- Nestle chicken pieces into the vegetables and broth.
- Place the lid on the braiser or Dutch oven and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Check after 30 minutes to ensure the chicken and vegetables are tender and cooked through.
- Serve with your choice of side and some crusty bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated online and should be used as a guide.
All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com
