Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
There is nothing better than the sweet aroma of bell peppers and tomatoes simmering slowly all day in this Chicken Cacciatore dish. You may also like this slow cooker Pollo in Potacchio or Salsa Chicken with Beans and Corn.
Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. Often the chicken is dusted with flour and fried in oil before simmering in tomatoes with onions and peppers. This healthier version removes the skin and skips the deep frying, but you won’t miss it.
Slow Cooker Tips:
When using your slow cooker, I always recommend browning the meat and vegetables first for deeper flavors and a thicker sauce because liquids don’t evaporate in the slow cooker. But for those of you who don’t want to dirty a pan, or don’t have that extra time to brown first I tested this out using the quick method of dumping it all in the slow cookers. Verdict: The sauce wasn’t as thick as I would have liked, so my easy fix: I set the crock pot to high with the cover off for one additional hour to let it simmer and thicken and that worked fine. Perhaps adding a little flour would also help it thicken. If you want to add mushrooms to the sauce, this would also be a great time to do so. If you like white meat, you can certainly use chicken breast but I highly recommend keeping the chicken on the bone. The bone is what gives you such great flavor, you can always remove it after. And since so many are asking, although I have and love my Instant Pot, I still love my slow cooker! I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker (affil link). I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it’s done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This slow cooker is so great, I actually own several!
What do you serve with Chicken Cacciatore?
We love it served over pasta, spaghetti squash, rice or polenta.
For the stove top version, see Chicken Cacciatore. Cooking on the stove differs from the crock pot, liquids evaporate quickly on the stove where as in the slow cooker nothing evaporates. When you add all the elements to your crock, you may be tempted to add broth but don’t. There will be plenty of liquid once it starts cooking. Also, flavors tend to get muted in the slow cooker, so I always adjust my herbs and seasoning in the end to get it where I want it. I’ve also now included an Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore recipe. Enjoy!
title: “Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-17” author: “Mitchell Lansing”
Hey everyone! Kelly here from Life Made Sweeter back again to share another slow cooker dinner recipe! With the cooler evenings we are starting to see, we’ve been craving all kinds of comfort food. Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish that is just perfect for this time of year. Ever since visiting Italy a few years ago, we love trying to recreate the delicious flavors of the meals we had while we were there.
I love making this hearty and rustic dish in the slow cooker on busy school nights. You just toss everything into the pot and set and forget it. Cooking it low and slow helps to create that amazing rich and flavorful broth. But if you have some extra time, sear the chicken in a large skillet before placing in the slow cooker. It’s an extra step but it gives the chicken that extra layer of flavor. This slow cooker chicken cacciatore is also loaded with a ton of healthy vegetables like bell peppers, carrots, diced tomatoes, kale, mushrooms, onions and Kalamata olives. Serve this with your favorite sides or over some thick noodles, zoodles, or rice to soak up that amazing sauce.
More slow cooker favorites: Minestrone Soup Homemade Beef Stew