Chicken Thigh Cacciatore Slow Cooker

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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.

An overhead image of Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore in a Crock Pot insert.

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.

A serving of Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore in a white serving dish with pasta.

San Marzano Tomatoes

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!

The cover of The Foolproof Family Slow Cooker

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!

A spoon lifts a piece of Chicken Cacciatore from the slow cooker.

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.

Watch the quick video below to see just how easy it is to put this dish together.

An overhead image of Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore in a Crock Pot insert.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Chicken Cacciatore, Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

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

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.

Serving: 2 pieces · Calories: 530 kcal · Carbohydrates: 43 g · Protein: 49 g · Fat: 17 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Cholesterol: 194 mg · Sodium: 674 mg · Potassium: 1594 mg · Fiber: 7 g · Sugar: 14 g · Vitamin A: 3368 IU · Vitamin C: 27 mg · Calcium: 147 mg · Iron: 6 mg

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.

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