This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is rustic, comforting dish that will satisfy your craving for Italian. This super tender chicken cooks in a tomato-based sauce with garlic, Italian herbs, and mushrooms.
I’m sharing another of my favorite recipes from my cookbook with you today. I’ve been craving Italian comfort food and this Chicken Cacciatore made in the slow cooker definitely hit the spot. If you’re craving Italian, you’re in the right place!
What is Chicken Cacciatore?
“Cacciatore” means hunter in Italian and was used to name this hunter-style stew. It’s an old, classic Italian dish that dates back as far as the 14th century. A variety of different proteins can be used but today you’ll most commonly see the dish made with chicken. The chicken is braised in a tomato-based sauce that includes onion, garlic, and herbs and an assortment of other vegetables. I went with carrots for sweetness and earthy, meaty cremini mushrooms.
To enhance the rustic quality of the dish, I use bone-in chicken thighs. They are super affordable, cook up incredibly tender when cooked low and slow, and have great flavor.
Why are San Marzano Tomatoes Best?
When canned tomatoes are one of the main elements of a recipe I highly recommend going with San Marzano tomatoes. They are milder, sweeter, and less acidic than other varieties and really make a difference in recipes like this Chicken Cacciatore and my Easy Homemade Spaghetti Sauce. Real deal San Marzano tomatoes are grown in Italy but you’ll see some brands marked “San Marzano Style” which means they are most likely grown elsewhere.
I believe high quality Italian-grown canned tomato products yield the tastiest result and try to use them when I can but in current times I know it can be hard to find ingredients. I’ve always held a firm belief that we should use what we have on hand, be flexible, and in the end, it’s going to be delicious!
This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is one of 75 recipes from my cookbook, The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker and Other One-Pot Solutions. I have grown to love the recipes from this book more and more as time passes and I’ve made them over and over again. So many have become regulars on our menu like Chicken Parmesan Meatballs, Veggie-Packed Meatloaf with Barbecue Glaze, and 10-Minute Egg Roll Lettuce Wraps. The Asian Sesame Party Meatballs are outrageously tasty and I can’t wait to make another batch of Slow Cooker Peach Applesauce (I think this may be the next recipe I share with you all!).
Thank you all so much for sharing your photos of the recipes you’ve made from the book on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag my account @fromvalerieskitchen so I can see your creations. It makes my day!
Serving Suggestions
Serve it with the cooked pasta of your choice, a crusty loaf of French bread, and a bottle of wine for Italian night at home. More great side dish choices:
- Pesto Green Beans
- A tossed green salad with Homemade Italian Dressing
- Almond Rice Pilaf
More Comforting Chicken Recipes
- Chicken and Sausage Stew with White Beans and Spinach
- Baked Chicken Pesto Parmesan
- Coconut Curry Chicken
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup dry white wine, like sauvignon blanc, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay
- 8 chicken thighs (bone-in), skin removed
- 28 ounce can San Marzano crushed tomatoes, or other high quality tomato
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- 8 ounces cooked pasta or 2 cups cooked rice, for serving
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a 12-inch skillet and place it over MEDIUM heat. Add the carrot, onion and garlic and sauté for 4 or 5 minutes, until the carrot and onion have just softened. Add the tomato paste, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, and stir the mixture. Allow it to cook for 1 to 2 minutes to toast the spices. Add the wine and bring the mixture to a simmer.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Spoon the mixture from the skillet over the chicken and add the crushed tomatoes. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours, just until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Stir in the mushrooms and parsley, cover, and continue to cook for an additional 30 to 60 minutes on LOW, just until the mushrooms have softened.
- Garnish individual servings with plenty of shredded Parmesan cheese, and serve over pasta or rice.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
The meal was delicious. The only thing I would caution others is that a double recipe fills a large slow cooker to very top.
This turned out perfect. The only thing I added was celery in error, but it still was excellent. Definitely worth saving the pin/recipe.
Can I use skinless boneless thighs?
I prefer bone-in chicken for this recipe but yes, you can. Just be aware that boneless chicken will cook faster so you might find it will take less time to get fork tender.
Hello, question on the mushrooms. My grandfather used to make this all the time when I was younger, but I think he used marinated mushrooms. Are you using fresh cremini mushrooms in this recipe? Can’t wait to cook this up!
Hi Silka. Yes, I use fresh cremini mushrooms. No need to marinate them in advance as they’ll soak up all that good flavor from the sauce. Hope you love it!
Made this tonight following the recipe exactly. It was delicious! Perfect consistency. Served over pappardelle pasta with salad.
Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m so glad it work out well for you! Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
Can I prep this the night before and turn on the slow cooker the next day?
To prep ahead, I recommend cooking the mixture in the skillet, allowing it to cool and refrigerating it overnight. Proceed as directed in the morning with the remaining ingredients.
Excellent!
Used chicken breasts with bone-in.
So happy you loved it!
It was delicious without any changes.
Hi I use peppers, green, red and yellow instead of carrot and I use breasts but I cube them and sear in butter before I put the in the slow cooker. This solves the tenderness problem
Can you substitute chicken broth for the wine?
You could but you’d definitely have a less complex flavor in the end.
Hi Valerie, my kids are in elementary school so I’m wondering if I can substitute anything for the wine? In place of the crushed tomatoes, can I omit or use chicken broth? My kids are not as fond of tomato bases for their food.
Honestly, I would choose a different chicken recipe if the kiddos aren’t fond of tomato bases. Chicken Cacciatore is not Chicken Cacciatore without tomato.
Wine used in cooking loses the alcohol content adding flavor without any affects of alcohol. And it’s a tomato based stew, it requires tomato…
I’m not a thigh fan, how would breasts be in this?
Hi Nancy. I use thighs because they are so tender and flavorful. I do think it would work with breasts but I don’t believe they would be quite as tender.