Cacciatore is a hunter's stew, and its identity is a red tomato sauce built around peppers and mushrooms. This version keeps that exactly: two bell peppers, eight ounces of cremini and a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes.
The only stovetop work is browning the chicken. After that everything goes in together and cooks for about five hours, by which point the peppers have softened into the sauce and the thighs are falling from the bone.
Why This Recipe Works
- Bone-in thighs hold up to five hours where breast meat would dry out, and the bones enrich the sauce.
- Crushed tomatoes need only half a cup of broth to loosen, which keeps the sauce thick rather than soupy.
- Two colours of pepper give the finished dish its look as well as its sweetness.
- Oregano and basil go in at the start so they infuse the tomato across the whole cook.
Ingredient Notes
- Bone-in chicken thighs
- Six, thawed. Browning them first is the only reason the finished pieces have any colour.
- Red and yellow bell peppers
- One of each, sliced. Both colours are part of how the dish reads.
- Crushed tomatoes
- One 28-ounce can. This is the sauce — there is no cream anywhere in the recipe.
How to Make It
Brown the chicken
Brown the chicken in olive oil, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
Add everything else
Add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic, crushed tomatoes, broth, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Cook to 165F
Cover and cook on Low for about 5 hours, until the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit and the vegetables are tender.
Serve
Serve the chicken pieces with the red tomato sauce, peppers, mushrooms and parsley.
What Holds the Sauce Together
Cacciatore is a short ingredient list doing a lot of work. Each of these comes from a specific item in the pot, and removing any one of them changes what the dish is.
- Acidity and body1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- The sauce itself. Thick enough that only half a cup of broth is needed to loosen it, and sharp enough to cut the richness of the thighs.
- Sweetness1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced, plus 1 sliced yellow onion
- Five hours softens the peppers completely and their sugars balance the tomato. This is why the sauce needs no added sugar.
- Savoury depth8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms and 4 cloves garlic
- The mushrooms give up their liquid into the sauce and leave the meaty background note cacciatore is known for.
- Herb1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- The dried herbs go in at the start and infuse across the cook; the parsley goes on at the end where it stays green.
Season with the full teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper at the start - the sauce has five hours to absorb them.
Success Tips
- Brown in a hot pan and do not crowd it. Five hours under a lid will not add colour later.
- Slice the peppers rather than dicing them so they stay identifiable in the sauce.
- Add the parsley at the end. Cooked into the sauce it disappears.
Serving Ideas
Six servings: chicken pieces with the red tomato sauce, peppers and mushrooms spooned over, finished with chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make it creamy?
No. This is a tomato-based cacciatore and there is no cream sauce version of it here.
Can I use boneless thighs?
The recipe is written for bone-in thighs, which is what carries five hours on Low.
Do I need both pepper colours?
Yes — red and yellow are both part of the dish as specified.
