Hamdi Saidani Ina Garten Chicken Cacciatore is the definitive version of the Italian “hunter-style” classic. True to Ina’s philosophy of “elevated simplicity,” this recipe features bone-in chicken thighs braised in a rich, rustic sauce of plum tomatoes, earthy mushrooms, and vibrant bell peppers. It’s a deep, savory, one-pot masterpiece that makes your kitchen smell like a professional trattoria.
What Is Chicken Cacciatore?
- Chicken Cacciatore, pronounced “chicken catch-uh-tor-ee,” is a traditional Italian sauce made with chicken thighs or breasts or both, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, and herbs. The Chicken Cacciatore sauce is traditionally served over cooked pasta or cooked rice.
- Chicken Cacciatore is usually cooked on the stovetop, but there are many ways to cook it, including in the crockpot, oven, or other methods.
- In English, “cacciatore” means “hunter,” so Chicken Cacciatore is often referred to as “hunter’s chicken.”
Why You Will Love This Chicken Cacciatore Recipe:
- Fall-Off-The-Bone Tenderness: Braising the chicken in the tomato and wine sauce ensures it stays incredibly moist and succulent.
- Deep Flavor Profile: The combination of red wine, fresh thyme, and a hint of red pepper flakes creates a sauce with incredible layers of warmth.
- Better with Time: Like most stews, this dish tastes even better the next day, making it an elite choice for meal prep or entertaining.
- Elegant Simplicity: It uses basic, high-quality ingredients to produce a result that feels fancy enough for a dinner party but is easy enough for a Sunday night.
Ina Garten Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound (450g) cremini mushrooms, sliced thick
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers (one red, one yellow), sliced into strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup (120ml) dry red wine, like Chianti
- 1 can (28oz/800g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/4 cup (10g) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
How To Make Ina Garten Chicken Cacciatore
- 1. Dust the meat: Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with a paper towel and sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each piece in the flour, shaking off any extra so only a thin layer remains on the skin.
- 2. Sear the thighs: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook for about 7 minutes without moving them until the skin is crispy and brown. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, then move the meat to a clean plate.
- 3. Brown the mushrooms: Add the sliced mushrooms to the same pot with the leftover chicken fat. Leave them undisturbed for a few minutes so they develop a dark color and release their moisture before you start stirring.
- 4. Sauté the vegetables: Toss in the onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook these for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and see-through but hasn’t started to burn.
- 5. Clean the pan: Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits from the bottom. These toasted pieces of flour and meat are where the real flavor of the sauce lives, so make sure the bottom of the pot is clean.
- 6. Simmer the sauce: Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and crushed fennel seeds. Nestled the chicken thighs back into the liquid, making sure the crispy skin stays just above the surface of the sauce so it doesn’t get soggy.
- 7. Cook until tender: Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on, and let it simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. The chicken is done when the meat starts to pull away from the bone and the sauce has thickened.
Don’t let the sauce boil rapidly once the chicken is back in the pot. A gentle simmer keeps the meat tender, while a hard boil will tighten the muscle fibers and make the chicken tough and chewy.
- 8. Finish with herbs: Stir in the fresh parsley right before you serve. Taste the sauce one last time to see if it needs an extra pinch of salt to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t crowd the pan. If you try to brown all the chicken thighs at once, they’ll steam instead of sear. Work in two batches if your pot isn’t large enough to keep at least an inch of space between each piece of meat.
- Use a dry red wine. Avoid anything labeled “cooking wine” or anything too sweet. A Chianti or a Pinot Noir provides the right amount of acidity to break down the chicken fibers and add a sophisticated depth to the tomatoes.
- Crush the fennel seeds. Use the back of a heavy knife or a mortar and pestle to crack the seeds open before adding them. This releases the oils inside, which gives the sauce a much better aroma than using whole, hard seeds.
- Keep the skin up. When you put the chicken back into the sauce, try to keep the skin side facing up and out of the liquid. This helps it retain some of the crispiness you worked hard for during the initial searing step.
- Check for mushroom size. Slice the mushrooms into thick pieces rather than thin shavings. They shrink significantly as they cook, and you want them to remain chunky enough to provide a meaty texture alongside the chicken.
- Let it rest. Give the pot five minutes off the heat before you start dishing it out. This allows the sauce to settle and ensures the chicken doesn’t lose all its juices the moment you cut into it.
What To Serve With Chicken Cacciatore?
This Chicken Cacciatore is all about the sauce, so you need a vessel to soak it up. Serve it over a bed of buttered egg noodles, creamy polenta, or al dente linguine. A side of crusty Italian bread is essential for “fare la scarpetta” (cleaning the plate), and a crisp arugula salad provides a bright, peppery contrast to the rich tomato braise.
How To Store Leftovers Chicken Cacciatore?
- Fridge: This dish is even better the next day. Store it in an airtight container for up to four days; the flavors will continue to develop as the chicken sits in the sauce.
- Freeze: This freezes beautifully for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating so the chicken heats evenly and the mushrooms don’t turn into a watery mess.
How To Reheat Leftovers Chicken Cacciatore?
Avoid: High-heat searing or frying, which will toughen the already-tender braised meat.
- Stovetop (Best): Place the chicken and sauce in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5–10 minutes, adding a splash of chicken broth if the sauce has thickened too much.
- Oven: Place in a baking dish, cover tightly with foil to trap the steam, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15–20 minutes until the center of the chicken is hot.
- Microwave: Place a serving in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a lid or damp paper towel and heat on medium power in 1-minute bursts, spooning the sauce over the meat halfway through.
FAQs
Can I use chicken breasts for the Chicken Cacciatore?
You can, but you’ll need to reduce the simmering time significantly to avoid drying out the meat. Thighs are much more forgiving and stay juicy during the braising process, which is why they’re the preferred choice for this recipe.
What can I substitute for the red wine?
If you don’t want to use alcohol, you can use an equal amount of chicken broth mixed with a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. The vinegar provides the acidity that the wine usually gives to the sauce.
Does the Chicken Cacciatore’s skin stay crispy after simmering?
The skin will soften slightly as it steams under the lid, but browning it first ensures it has a better texture and flavor than raw skin. Keeping it above the sauce line helps prevent it from becoming completely mushy.
Try More Ina Garten Recipes:
- Beef Chili Recipe
- Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Shrimp And Grits
- Turkey Bolognese
- Chicken Scarpariello
- Turkey Chili Recipe
- Curried Chicken Salad
Chicken Cacciatore Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 thigh with sauce):
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Protein: 28g
- Fat: 22g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 540mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
Ina Garten Chicken Cacciatore
Description
Ina Garten’s Chicken Cacciatore from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook is one of the best-ever Italian chicken cacciatore recipes. This easy Chicken Cacciatore is made with chicken thighs and breasts, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, garlic, herbs, and white wine. This easy chicken dish takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes of cooking and can serve about 4 to 6 people. Additionally, this Simple Chicken Cacciatore is keto-friendly and to make it gluten-free, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour alternative.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Dust the meat: Pat the chicken thighs completely dry with a paper towel and sprinkle them generously with salt and pepper. Lightly coat each piece in the flour, shaking off any extra so only a thin layer remains on the skin.
- Sear the thighs: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side down and cook for about 7 minutes without moving them until the skin is crispy and brown. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes, then move the meat to a clean plate.
- Brown the mushrooms: Add the sliced mushrooms to the same pot with the leftover chicken fat. Leave them undisturbed for a few minutes so they develop a dark color and release their moisture before you start stirring.
- Sauté the vegetables: Toss in the onion, bell peppers, and garlic. Cook these for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and see-through but hasn’t started to burn.
- Clean the pan: Pour in the red wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the bits from the bottom. These toasted pieces of flour and meat are where the real flavor of the sauce lives, so make sure the bottom of the pot is clean.
- Simmer the sauce: Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and crushed fennel seeds. Nestled the chicken thighs back into the liquid, making sure the crispy skin stays just above the surface of the sauce so it doesn’t get soggy.
- Cook until tender: Turn the heat down to low, put the lid on, and let it simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes. The chicken is done when the meat starts to pull away from the bone and the sauce has thickened.
- Finish with herbs: Stir in the fresh parsley right before you serve. Taste the sauce one last time to see if it needs an extra pinch of salt to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
Don’t let the sauce boil rapidly once the chicken is back in the pot. A gentle simmer keeps the meat tender, while a hard boil will tighten the muscle fibers and make the chicken tough and chewy.
Notes
-
Don’t crowd the pan: If you try to brown all the chicken thighs at once, they’ll steam instead of sear. Work in two batches if your pot isn’t large enough to keep at least an inch of space between each piece of meat.
Use a dry red wine: Avoid anything labeled “cooking wine” or anything too sweet. A Chianti or a Pinot Noir provides the right amount of acidity to break down the chicken fibers and add a sophisticated depth to the tomatoes.
Crush the fennel seeds: Use the back of a heavy knife or a mortar and pestle to crack the seeds open before adding them. This releases the oils inside, which gives the sauce a much better aroma than using whole, hard seeds.
Keep the skin up: When you put the chicken back into the sauce, try to keep the skin side facing up and out of the liquid. This helps it retain some of the crispiness you worked hard for during the initial searing step.
Check for mushroom size: Slice the mushrooms into thick pieces rather than thin shavings. They shrink significantly as they cook, and you want them to remain chunky enough to provide a meaty texture alongside the chicken.
Let it rest: Give the pot five minutes off the heat before you start dishing it out. This allows the sauce to settle and ensures the chicken doesn’t lose all its juices the moment you cut into it.
