Description
This Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore is a comforting Italian-inspired slow cooker meal featuring tender chicken thighs simmered with bell peppers, mushrooms, and a flavorful tomato sauce infused with herbs and garlic. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners, it requires minimal prep and delivers rich, hearty flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Vegetables
- 2 pounds boneless & skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Tomato Sauce
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons capers
Garnish
- Fresh parsley and basil for garnish
Instructions
- Sear the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then sear for 2–3 minutes per side until golden brown. This step is optional but adds great flavor.
- Prepare Vegetables: Add the sliced onion, red and green bell peppers, mushrooms, and minced garlic to the bottom of the slow cooker, creating a flavorful base.
- Layer the Chicken: Place the seared chicken pieces on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker, ensuring even layering.
- Mix Sauce: In a large bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, oregano, optional red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir well to blend all the flavors together.
- Pour Sauce Over Chicken: Pour the tomato mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6–7 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is tender and can be easily pulled apart.
- Finish with Capers: Stir in the capers and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve: Spoon the chicken and sauce over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes, and garnish with fresh parsley and basil before serving.
Notes
- Searing the chicken is optional but recommended for added depth of flavor.
- Use boneless thighs for juicier results, but breasts work fine too.
- Feel free to adjust herbs and spices to your taste preference.
- Serve over your choice of carbs like pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce.
- Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can be frozen for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1 cup of chicken and sauce)
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
