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This Chicken Cacciatore Recipe is an easy skillet dinner made with chicken thighs, bell peppers, onion, and your favorite marinara sauce. Brown the chicken, let it simmer in the sauce, and serve it over pasta for a comforting dinner without a long list of ingredients.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Recipe was easy to follow, quick, and very delicious.” – LaTasha
“So easy to make and my family loved it. Love that there are minimal ingredients.” – Kehau
“This recipe was so delicious. The capsicum gives this dish a lovely sweet flavour.” – Christina Scholzhorn
Why I Love This Easy Version
Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and chicken cacciatore is a rustic dish made with chicken simmered in a sauce with vegetables. There are plenty of ways to make it, but I like keeping this one simple. Instead of making a tomato sauce from scratch, I use a quart of marinara or spaghetti sauce and add peppers, onions, and garlic. You get tender chicken and a good tomato sauce without a lot of extra prep.
I actually used my homemade Canned Spaghetti Sauce Recipe when I made this, and oh my, it was good! I was in the mood for fettuccine that day, so that’s what I served it over. I also added mozzarella on top, which isn’t traditional, but I couldn’t help myself. The cheese is optional, of course.
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken thighs: They stay tender while simmering in the tomato sauce. Season them with kosher salt and black pepper before dredging.
- All-purpose flour: Use a light coating before browning the chicken. Shake off any excess flour.
- Olive oil: Use it to brown the chicken in the skillet before cooking the vegetables.
- Red bell peppers: Slice or chop them so they soften in the sauce. One or two large peppers works for the recipe.
- Onion and garlic: Slice the onion and mince the garlic. They cook in the same skillet after the chicken comes out.
- Marinara sauce: Your favorite jarred marinara or prepared spaghetti sauce makes this recipe so easy. Homemade sauce works, too.
- Mozzarella and fresh basil: Both go on just before serving. The mozzarella is optional.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Chicken breasts: You can use them instead of thighs. If they’re thick, cut them in half so they cook more evenly, and check for doneness with a thermometer rather than relying only on the simmering time.
- Chicken drumsticks: A reader reported making this with drumsticks and loving it. They may take a different amount of time than thighs, so cook them to 165°F in the thickest part without touching the bone.
- Without flour: A couple of readers have successfully skipped the flour. The chicken won’t have the same coating, but the recipe can still work. For a gluten-free version, check that the marinara and any other packaged ingredients are gluten-free as well.
- Parmesan instead of mozzarella: One reader used Parmesan when she didn’t have mozzarella and said her family loved it. You can also leave the cheese off entirely.
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Season and flour the chicken. Sprinkle the thighs with kosher salt and black pepper, then lightly dredge each piece in flour.
- Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for about 4 to 5 minutes per side. It doesn’t need to be fully cooked yet. Move it to a plate.
- Sauté the vegetables. In the same skillet, cook the bell peppers, onion, and garlic until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
- Add the marinara. Reduce the heat and carefully stir the sauce into the vegetables, scraping up any browned bits from the skillet.
- Return and simmer the chicken. Put the chicken back in the skillet and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook for about 25 minutes, or until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Add toppings and serve. Sprinkle with mozzarella, if using, and finish with fresh basil. Serve the chicken and sauce over fettuccine or another favorite side.
Recipe Tips
- Use a skillet with high sides. You’ll need enough room for six chicken thighs, the vegetables, and a full quart of sauce.
- Brown the chicken in batches if needed. Crowding the skillet makes it harder to get a golden-brown surface.
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer. If it’s bubbling too hard, turn the heat down so the chicken can finish cooking without the sauce splattering everywhere.
- Check the chicken with a meat thermometer. The size and cut of the pieces can affect the time needed, especially if you swap thighs for breasts or drumsticks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken Parmesan usually has breaded chicken topped with tomato sauce and melted cheese. Chicken cacciatore cooks the chicken in a sauce with vegetables. Cheese isn’t required for cacciatore, although I like adding a little mozzarella to this recipe.
No. Many traditional chicken cacciatore recipes use red or white wine, but this easy version doesn’t need it. Using prepared marinara sauce keeps the ingredients simple without having to make a sauce from scratch.
Some chicken cacciatore recipes include mushrooms, olives, or both, but they aren’t required. This version keeps things simple with bell peppers, onion, garlic, and marinara sauce.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: You can slice the peppers and onion and mince the garlic ahead of time. Keep them covered in the refrigerator and dredge the chicken just before cooking.
Storing: Refrigerate leftover chicken and sauce in shallow, airtight containers within two hours of cooking. Use within 3 to 4 days. Store any pasta separately if possible.
Freezing: Freeze the cooked chicken and sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Warm the chicken and sauce gently in a covered skillet until the chicken and sauce reach 165°F. Add a small splash of water if the sauce has thickened during storage.
What to Serve with Chicken Cacciatore
I served mine over fettuccine, but spaghetti or egg noodles also work well with the sauce. You can skip the pasta and serve the chicken with roasted potatoes or steamed vegetables instead. For an easy dinner, add Cheesy Italian Bread or Oven Roasted Vegetables on the side. Italian Lemon Cookies would be a nice dessert afterward.
More Italian Recipes
If you make this easy Chicken Cacciatore Recipe, I’d love to hear what you served it with! Leave a comment and star rating below. 💛
Easy Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup flour, for dredging
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1-2 large red bell peppers, chopped or sliced
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 quart marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, optional
- fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Sprinkle each chicken thigh with salt and pepper then dredge in flour.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is golden-brown (it doesn’t need to be completely cooked through).
- Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, saute peppers, onion, and garlic until onions become soft and transparent.
- Reduce heat and slowly add marinara/spaghetti sauce to the skillet.
- Add chicken back to the skillet and bring sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes or until chicken thighs are cooked through.
- Before serving, top with mozzarella (optional) and fresh basil.
- Can be served with pasta, steamed vegetables, or roasted potatoes.
Notes
- The chicken finishes cooking in the sauce, so it only needs to brown during the first skillet step.
- Flour can be omitted, as some readers have done, but the browning and sauce consistency may differ.
- The nutrition estimate does not include pasta, vegetables, or potatoes served on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So easy to make and my family loved it. Love that there are minimal ingredients. This will be on our menu rotation.
So glad you liked the chicken cacciatore! Thanks for the positive review!
This recipe was so delicious. The capsicum gives this dish a lovely sweet flavour. We didn’t have mozzarella cheese but used parmesan cheese instead. The whole family loved it.
I just made this! Great way to use the garden peppers. Thanks for the option to increase the servings.
Ch5ose recipe from web search for its 5 star rating, and I am SO GLAD i did. Recipe was easy to follow, quick, and very delicious. I didn’t use flour, but i did deBone and DeSkin my chicken thighs which made the dish easier to eat. Thank you so much!
This was so easy to make. I had all of the ingredients on hand and the kids and husband loved it.
It was so god and so delicious.. Awesome!!! A fancy meal within minutes. I used drumsticks, chicken is chicken and it was soo good. Love this web site.
I am pinning this. Sounds delicious. I have had it with no flour on the chicken as well and tastes great. Thanks for the recipe.