Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is a hunter style Italian chicken dish that is usually prepared with tomatoes, onions, Italian peppers, and sometimes wine.
Making Chicken Cacciatore in the slow cooker will help you get dinner on the table in a snap. Why should you spend hours cooking when you can easily make a delicious Italian Dinner in the Crockpot.
This Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is made extra simple with the help of Mezzetta Sauce. It is a perfect meal for any night of the week. Since it is made in the slow cooker, you can set it and forget it until it is time for dinner. Packed full of flavor, the Mezzetta Sauce is perfectly seasoned so that you can really just dump it all into the crock pot and go about your day.
What is Chicken Cacciatore?
Cacciatore mean hunter in Italian. Alla Caccitatore means that the meat (in this case chicken) is prepare hunter style. Cacciatore gives you a lot of freedom as an at home cook.
The basics are that you start by browning your meat and then braising it on slow cook setting. Braising with a tomato base helps keep the chicken tasty and moist making chicken cacciatore an excellent choice for families that are sick of dry chicken.
The most common ingredients in Italian chicken cacciatore recipe is onions, tomatoes, and garlic. I have seen everything from carrots to kale included in some recipes.
Since I am doing Keto, I like to include low net carb veggies like Mushrooms in my best chicken cacciatore recipe.
Is Chicken Cacciatore Italian?
Yes, the word Cacciatore is Italian for hunter.
What to Serve with Chicken Cacciatore?
Chicken Cacciatore is usually served over a bed of pasta that used the tomato sauce from the crockpot chicken cacciatore as the gravy for the pasta.
Growing up eating Italian every week of my life, I learned that all tomato sauces are served with Italian bread to soak up the tomato sauce and clean your plate when you are finished. Mezzetta sauce is a dream and you don’t want to leave a drop of it on the plate.
Chicken Cacciatore Side Dishes to Serve
- This cauliflower au gratin is a yummy side dish that will make the family happy. It is creamy and delicious!
- If you are feeling like making a super fun bread to pair with dinner, try this yummy chocolate bun recipe.
- This Cauliflower Parmesan Casserole is the perfect addition to this slow cooker dinner.
Low Carb Alternatives
If you are looking to keep the dish low carb, you can also serve it over a low carb pasta like Miracle Noodles, Spaghetti Noodles, Pasta Zero or even zucchini zoodles.
Chicken Cacciatore Slow Cooker Recipe
This crockpot chicken cacciatore recipe is perfect to make for family night or any night of the week.
It is an extremely family friendly and filling recipe that has everything a good dinner should have – chicken, tomato sauce, and pasta.
Italian Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients
- 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 Jar of Mezzetta Italian Plum Tomato Marinara Sauce
- 1/4 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 yellow onion, minced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup red peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, crushed
Mezzetta Sauces
Mezzetta offers sauces in flavors and sizes that suit any meal or occasion. Using Mezzetta sauce in my Chicken Cacciatore recipe makes family dinner extra special.
You feel like you are eating at a restaurant, but in the comfort aof your own home.
I chose to use a regional recipe in my chicken cacciatore Mezzetta’s “Regional Recipes” are based on Jeff Mezzetta’s travels and experiences. Here are the yummy flavor options. There are so many amazing flavors to choose from.
- Truffle, Porcini & Cream
- Whole Garlic & Sweet Basil
- Caramelized Onion & Butter
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Italian Plum Tomato
- Calabrian Chili
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore?
Start by cutting the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large non-tick skillet over medium high heat.
Sear chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Transfer the seared chicken to slow cooker. If y0u are using the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker, you can brown the chicken in the Instant Pot on the searing setting.
Add the crushed garlic, diced onion, seeded and diced bell peppers, mushrooms, Mezzetta Sauce, Italian Seasoning and salt and black pepper to taste.
Stir to combine in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Serve hot over pasta, low carb pasta, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
Finally, top with grated parmesan and fresh chives or garlic chives, if desired.
Instant Pot Alternative
Instead of using the crock pot or slow cooker, you can make chicken cacciatore in the Instant Pot in 40 minutes rather than 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low in the slow cooker.
Need another quick weeknight meal?
Our family thrives on chicken as its one of the few things my kids love, so try One Pan Citrus Baked Chicken, Baked Balsamic Chicken with Veggies, and Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast skinless, boneless, halved
- 1 jar Mezzetta Sauce
- 1/4 pound mushrooms
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup red peppers seeded, diced
- 1 tbsp garlic crushed
Instructions
- Start by cutting the chicken breasts in half lengthwise and seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Heat olive oil in a large non-tick skillet over medium high heat.
- Sear chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.Transfer the seared chicken to slow cooker.
- If you are using the Instant Pot instead of the slow cooker, you can brown the chicken in the Instant Pot on the searing setting.
- Add the crushed garlic, diced onion, seeded and diced bell peppers, mushrooms, Mezzetta Sauce, Italian Seasoning and salt and black pepper to taste.
- Stir to combine in the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
- Serve hot over pasta, low carb pasta, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles.
- Finally, top with grated parmesan and fresh chives or garlic chives, if desired.
Notes
Instant Pot Alternative
Instead of using the crock pot or slow cooker, you can make chicken cacciatore in the Instant Pot in 40 minutes rather than 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low in the slow cooker.Let me know if you have any questions about the Italian Chicken Recipe in the comments below or you can email me [email protected]. Thanks for your support.
When you say cut the chicken breast in half, is that cutting it on top or cutting in half on the side?
I mean cutting it lengthwise into a cutlet. Thanks so much for your question. I will update the post to provide more clarification too.
OMG I just made this and it was epic.