The Best Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore You've Ever Had! (2024)

This post contains affiliatelinks. This post was originally published on October 25th, 2016. I have updated it to share it with you again today.

What Is Chicken Cacciatore?

Chicken Cacciatore is an Italian-inspired dish that roughly translates to hunter-style chicken. When I was researching how to take-on this classic chicken recipe (and make it healthier and easy enough for a weeknight) I discovered that Chicken Cacciatore has so many variations, nobody really agrees what it is exactly.

Apparently, it hails from Italy and the original dish was something hunters would have made out in the field (or woods) and therefore would be very simple. The chicken would be cut into parts and cooked with herbs and mushrooms.

But here in the states, I know it to have red wine, tomatoes and peppers as well. I also looked in the Joy of Cooking, like when I was working on the Chicken a la King, and their version does not have peppers.

To make things more confusing,some of the recipes I found online didn’t have tomatoes or peppers at all in them.

Eventually, I just decided that it was totally fine to take some creative license. As long as the dish tastes delicious, is healthier, and can be made for a weeknight, I’m okay with breaking the rules.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Step 1: Combine Tomatoes in The Bottom of The Slow Cooker

First of all, most Italian hunters probably don’t have slow cookers out in the woods, so right there you know we’re off into new territory. I use a Large crockpot for this one. Stir diced tomatoes and tomato paste together in the bottom of a large slow cooker.

Step 2: Mix Seasonings

Stir together smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and crushed red pepper in a small dish. (All of which is virtually calorie-free flavor.) Without the chicken skin, these chicken thighs are still very rich and flavorful tasting. The smoked paprika will make them so savory tasting.

Step 3: Season The Chicken

I removed the chicken skin to save on calories from fat. Lay chicken on a sheet of parchment. Sprinkle all over the chicken turning pieces to coat completely.

Step 4: Add Seasoned Chicken Thighs To Slow Cooker

Arrange chicken in the sauce in the slow cooker. Pour any extra spices from the parchment on top.

Step 5: Add in Peppers, Mushrooms, Onions and Olives

Layer olives, onion, bell pepper and mushrooms on top. The Joy of Cooking calls for olives so I tried that and loved the flavor it gave everything. Make sure to add these veggies and olives without stirring.

I didn’t stir the mixture because I wanted to make sure that the chicken stayed coated in the smoked paprika combination. I found that the vegetables released just enough juice, and it dripped down and mixed with the tomato, so that the chicken simmers and becomes completely tender.

Step 6: Slow Cook 6 Hours

Cover and set slow cooker to low for 6 hours.

Step 7: Remove Chicken Thighs

When timer goes off, carefully pull chicken out of the cooker. Note that the chicken will be falling off the bone and very tender, so try your best to keep the thighs intact if possible.

Step 8: Finish Sauce

Stir rosemary and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt into the vegetable mixture. Serve the vegetable mixture and sauce with the chicken.

If you like a thicker tomato sauce, you can simmer the sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop for 5 minutes to reduce it. Then add the salt and rosemary.

What goes with Chicken Cacciatore?

The sauce is full of veggies and so delicious! You’ll want to serve this with a starch of some sort. You can serve this with whole grain pasta, mashed potatoes or with soft polenta.
It is naturally gluten-free and paleo, so if you want to keep it low-carb you could serve it with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles or cauliflower rice would be good too.
You could also make Minestrone for a first course, and then have this Cacciatore as your secondi!
The flavors of Caesar Salad would be amazing with this Cacciatore! Add a loaf of Italian bread and dinner is served!!
For a sweet ending you could make Healthy Tiramisu with Greek Yogurt.

Can this recipe be made with boneless thighs or chicken breast?

We love the bone-in chicken thighs in this recipe, but there are other options! Boneless thighs will work well, but they will kind of fall apart. The texture will be more shredded. Just take care to try to lift them out of the slow cooker in one piece if possible. I recommend thighs over chicken breast because they tend to overcook and dry out. If you do not like thigh meat, you can substitute breast meat, but note that it may seem too dry.

How Can I thicken the sauce?

The bell peppers and mushrooms in this recipe really cook down and release a lot of liquid to form the sauce. If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can reduce it. Do so before adding the rosemary in step 8. Lift the chicken out of the sauce as directed in step 7 and then transfer the sauce and veggies to a saucepan. Simmer until the sauce is the desired consistency.

Can you put raw chicken in the slow cooker?

Yes it is okay to put the uncooked chicken in the slow cooker because it will cook through and the high heat will kill any food-born pathogens that may be present. It is important not to overfill the slow cooker so make sure to check your user instructions.

Can I use Marinara Sauce or Tomato Sauce instead of Canned Tomatoes?

You sure can. You’ll need 2 cups. One caveat: make sure to omit any additional salt, as these sauces are already seasoned. Once the dish is finished cooking, taste and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste.

My slow cooker only can be set for 4 or 8 hours. What do I do?

You can cook on high for 4 hours instead of 6 on low. This recipe is very forgiving!