Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs cooked in the slow cooker create the luxe flavor in this Italian slow cooker chicken cacciatore recipe for an incredibly easy weeknight or weekend meal.
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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
You know how the saying goes. It’s what waiters around the world have used for years to push the daily special.
“This meat is so tender it falls off the bone.”
And then sometimes it is. And sometimes it isn’t.
I’m here to tell you, today, right now, that thanks to this slow cooker chicken cacciatore recipe, the meat LITERALLY falls from the bone.
But don’t just take it from me. This is the day you’re going to absolutely want to try it for yourself. And like any good salesperson, I’m going to guarantee you’re going to love it.
This slow cooker chicken recipe is from the New York Times #1 best-selling cookbook, Skinnytaste Fast & Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes, written by my friend and fellow blogger Gina Homolka of the popular food blog Skinnytaste.
Skinnytaste Fast and Slow is the follow up to her best-selling cookbook The Skinnytaste Cookbook: Light on Calories, Big on Flavor that included her recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup I shared here.
Both books offer calorie-conscious recipes geared to home-cooked, family-friendly dishes that are totally approachable. You won’t find long lists of specialty ingredients, food substitutes, or fat-free versions of real food, nor does Gina preach strict rules of what to, and what not to eat.
Instead, Gina purposefully creates recipes using whole ingredients to create loads of flavor, and always keeps portion size in mind. These recipes fit perfectly into every style of cooks kitchen.
In Skinnytaste Fast and Slow, Gina shares 140 recipes that fall into two categories: Slow cooker or prepared in under 30 minutes so that no matter how you cook it, preparation is minimal every time.
Now THIS is cooking!
There were so many recipes I wanted to share from this book that it was hard to narrow down just one. I had to choose whether to go slow cooker with dishes like Chicken and Dumpling Soup, Slow Cooker Italian Turkey-Zucchini Meatballs, or Slow Cooker Asian Pork with Mushrooms, or choose a dinner ready in under 30 minutes like Spiralized Beet Salad with Seared Scallops and Orange or Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Shooters.
But what won out for me in the end was the promise of fall off the bone chicken.
What’s in This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore?
Like I said, this easy chicken cacciatore recipe doesn’t require any special ingredients. Here’s everything I threw into my slow cooker to create this unbelievably good dish:
- Bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Yellow onion
- Crushed tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Shiitake mushrooms
- Fresh thyme
- Bay leaves
- Parmesan
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
In this Crockpot chicken cacciatore recipe, the chicken is first seared in a separate pan, or if you have an Instant Pot you can skip the stove and sear it right in the slow cooker. The garlic and onions are then cooked down in the same pan before being added to the slow cooker.
Then, the remaining ingredients get dumped in. After that, all that’s left to do is to pop the lid onto the slow cooker and let it works its magic.
Once the chicken is cooked, you can serve it as is on the bone, or do what Gina does and shred the chicken (discarding the bones) and put back into the sauce to create a saucy chicken ragu.
Serve it over pasta, polenta or spaghetti sauce or sprialized zucchini noodles topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese. And bonus points that its easy enough for weeknight but totally wow-able for weekend entertaining.
The sauce holds up well as leftovers and only gets better and deeper with time. While I haven’t frozen the sauce yet, I’m sure it would hold up well to save for later.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts Instead of Thighs?
You likely can, but keep in mind that breasts will need to cook for longer in the slow cooker.
Do I Have to Brown the Chicken First?
Technically no, but I recommend doing so to add even more flavor to this slow cooker chicken cacciatore.
Tips for Making Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
In this recipe, Gina recommends always using bone-in chicken thighs for the ultimate flavor in both the chicken and what’s infused into the tomato based sauce. The bone also ensures juicy bites of chicken every time. Gina’s original recipe called for 8 chicken thighs, but because my package had 10 I threw in the extra two.
I also doubled the amount of mushrooms because, well, we love mushrooms. Even with those additions there was plenty of sauce to go around.
I used fresh thyme in this recipe but you could easily substitute or add oregano or rosemary too.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Rice Bowls
- Slow Cooker Chicken Fajita Chili
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 10 bone-in skinless chicken thighs , about 5 ounces each, trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray or extra virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves , finely chopped or pressed
- ½ large yellow onion , chopped
- 1 28- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ medium green bell pepper , chopped
- ½ medium red bell pepper , chopped
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms , sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Generously season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray or a drizzle of olive oil and then add the chicken. Cook until nicely browned, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to a slow cooker.
- Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and coat with more cooking spray or another drizzle of olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- Discard the bay leaf and transfer the chicken to a large plate or cutting board. Pull the chicken meat from the bones (discard the bones), shred the meat and return it to the sauce. Stir in the parsley. Serve with pasta, polenta or spaghetti squash topped with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore
This cacciatore is definitely filling enough, but sometimes you just need a drink, salad and a little something sweet to complete the meal.
- Drink: Rosemary Lemon Drop Cocktail
- Salad: Our Family’s Favorite Salad
- Side: Easy 5-Minute Parmesan Zucchini
- Side: Garlic Parmesan Breadsticks
- Dessert: German Chocolate Brownie Pie
Visit Gina on Skinnytaste and purchase your copy of Skinnytaste Fast and Slow here.
Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.
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Rhoda
Excellent recipe. I followed instructions as written except one thing. I like to keep clean up down so when a crock pot recipe calls for browning meat and cooking onions etc. I use my enamel coated dutch oven. After browining, add all the ingredients, bring to a low simmer, cover and pop it in the oven at 325 (equivelent to high temp 4 hour cook time in a crockpot) Works perfect everytime!
Thanks for the slow cooker tip Rhoda! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Barb
Made it Loved it will def make again printed recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed!
Nathan
Cacciatore is one of my favorite ways to make chicken. This recipe looked amazing! Thanks for the share!
Gary
Yuum
Shan
Hi ! Sounds amazing! Can you tell me how long to cook in the instant pot?
If you cook it on the slow cooker function in the Instant Pot it would be the same amount of time. I haven’t cooked it on the pressure cooking setting so I can’t confidently give you a time.
Mike
Love this! Putting this over pasta is a great idea, and this would be great on a cold winter night.
Thanks Mike! It’s great shredded, more like a stew too.
Nadia
Would it be okay if I used white mushrooms for this recipe? Or should I stick with shiitake?
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
You could definitely try it with white mushrooms, Nadia!
Sarah
No mention of the size of crockpot? Mine is 4.5 qt. Will it be large enough? I had difficulty with a chicken noodle soup crockpot recipe before because I didn’t account for the size of my crockpot vs recipe size
Ashley @ Foodie Crush
4.5 quart will be just fine for this recipe. Great question Sarah!
Brenda buckley
I’m cooking this tomorrow, I️ added a whole green and red pepper, I️ hope that’s not to much. Looking forward to eating this with spiral zucchini
Phawnda Moore
I consider myself close to gourmet cook level and am surprised at chicken recipes for crock pots. In my experience, rarely has chicken in a crock pot equalled that from a rotisserie, for example.
Tempted to try a few of these in the Instant Pot crock pot setting. Can you tell me how these were tested? Were they cooked in an IP? I’m much more impressed with the IP crock setting than a regular crock pot. . ..Thank you!
Pete
The recipe was tested by humans who tasted them. Rather than focusing on the analytics, simply try the recipe yourself and tweak as necessary.
Kill Yourself
Holy hell you must be absolutely insufferable.
Priya Rajkumar
Hi, I used an electric pressure cooker for this recipe. I browned boneless chicken thighs, took it out. Browned the onions, then added a cut bell pepper, sauteed, then added sliced mushrooms and sauteed until reduced. Then I added some white wine, let that reduce. Added 2 cans of diced tomatoes, and let the simmer. Then I added back the chicken. I cooked on high pressure for 20 minutes. Instead of pasta, I ladled this on top of smashed cauliflower. Thank you!!!
Ana
Made this today and we loved it. I used 4 chicken breast instead of chicken thighs and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme as the grocery store was out of fresh. This is a great healthy and tasty dish. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah
Hi,
I was thinking of making this with chicken breast also. May I ask how long did it take you to cook using chicken breast?
Thanks!
Dissertation Writing Help
This very delicious recipe delectable and tender pieces, cut across the grain, not with it. This habit pays particular dividends with the tougher cuts such as a flank steak, but works well with tender cuts, roasts and poultry too.
Agnes
is it possible to just throw the chicken into the slow cooker without browning it first?
zach p
yes
Seth B
My Dad’s favorite dish is Chicken Cacciatore. We’ve had it every year on his birthday with German Chocolate cake for as long as I can remember!
Bookmarking this recipe to save it for his birthday this year! Thanks for posting, I hope he loves it!
Tony
Hi, I liked this a lot. I’ve eaten it over several days and it’s best on the second day. I was disappointed that the shiitake mushrooms didn’t have a stronger taste. Maybe using half fresh and half dried might be better for me next time.
Keep up the great work.
Rony Jahid
Again your awesome recipe Heidi! Nice color & sounds so delicious. I would like to make it. Much appreciate, thanks.
Bob
Appreciate your reply and additional information. We will
be making this soon! Looks delicious.
Bob
Why do you list 1/2 red bell pepper twice?
Should one of those be something different?
Thanks for pointing that out Bob! It’s supposed to be 1/2 green bell pepper and 1/2 red bell pepper. I’ve fixed in the recipe. Enjoy!
Booni
Hi Bob, it’s written 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 green bell pepper.
Skinnytaste Gina
Beautiful photos as always Heidi!! So happy you enjoyed this wonderful dish, we never get tired of eating this, and your photos make me want to put it back on rotation this week!
Gina, this recipe was so good and created so much flavor with surprisingly few ingredients! Where’s the garlic? Where’s the wine? NO NEED! It’s perfect just as is. Thank you for creating such a great cookbook we can all cook from and know we’ll be in better health for it.
Irene
There’s like five cloves of garlic in the sauce? Plus you should fix your typos!