Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

If you’ve never made chicken cacciatore before, this is a great place to start. It’s a classic Italian dish that’s way easier than it sounds.

This version uses the slow cooker, so there’s barely any hands-on time. You basically prep your ingredients, layer everything in the pot, and walk away.

The result is incredibly tender bone-in chicken thighs sitting in a thick, chunky tomato sauce with peppers, mushrooms, and onions. It smells amazing while it cooks too.

I love serving this one over spaghetti, but it works just as well with a piece of good bread on the side.

It’s the kind of meal that feels like a warm hug on a busy day. Here’s how to make it step by step.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Your Whole House Will Smell Like an Italian Kitchen – The slow cooker fills your home with the aroma of oregano and basil and tomatoes all day long.

The Red Wine Takes It Up a Notch – That half cup of dry red wine adds a warm depth you just cannot get from tomatoes alone.

Loaded With Vegetables – Between the bell peppers and mushrooms and onions this sauce is chunky and hearty enough to be a full meal.

Ingredients

• 3 lb Bone-In Skin-On Chicken Thighs (about 6)
• 1 (28 oz) can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 medium Onion, sliced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
• 8 oz Cremini Mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
• 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Dried Basil
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• Fresh Basil for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and black pepper on both sides. If you have time, sear them skin-side down in a hot skillet with a drizzle of olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes until the skin is golden. This step is optional but adds great flavor.

Step 2

Place the sliced onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and minced garlic in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Step 3

In a bowl, stir together the crushed tomatoes, red wine, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Pour this sauce over the vegetables.

Step 4

Nestle the chicken thighs into the sauce skin-side up, pressing them down so they are mostly submerged.

Step 5

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. The chicken should be incredibly tender and nearly falling off the bone.

Step 6

Carefully remove the chicken thighs and set aside. Give the sauce a good stir and taste for seasoning, adjusting salt and pepper as needed.

Step 7

Serve the chicken over a bed of spaghetti, polenta, or crusty bread, spooning plenty of the chunky vegetable sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Pro Tips

Sear the Chicken First

The recipe says searing is optional, but it really does make a big difference here. Chicken skin turns soft and flabby in a slow cooker because there’s so much moisture. Searing it first gives you that golden, rendered skin that actually has some texture and flavor.

Get your skillet really hot before you add the chicken. If the pan isn’t hot enough, the skin will stick and tear instead of crisping up. You want to hear a loud sizzle the moment the chicken hits the pan.

Don’t move the thighs around while they sear. Just let them sit skin-side down for a full 3 to 4 minutes without touching them. That’s how you get an even golden crust.

Put the Vegetables on the Bottom

The vegetables need to go underneath the chicken, not on top or around the sides. The bottom of the slow cooker is where the most heat and liquid collects, and that’s what breaks down the peppers, onions, and mushrooms into that soft, saucy consistency you want.

If you put the chicken on the bottom and pile vegetables on top, the veggies won’t cook evenly and you’ll end up with some pieces that are still firm. The chicken also acts like a lid over the sauce, which helps everything underneath simmer and meld together.

Keep the Chicken Skin Above the Sauce

When you nestle the chicken into the slow cooker, make sure the skin side is facing up and sitting just above the surface of the sauce. You want the skin exposed to air, not buried in liquid.

If the skin is submerged the entire cook time, it turns into a soggy, rubbery layer that’s not pleasant to eat. Keeping it above the sauce won’t make it crispy, but it will have a much better texture than if it was soaking in liquid for 6 hours.

If you want to take it a step further, you can pop the finished chicken thighs under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes after they come out of the slow cooker. That will crisp the skin up nicely right before serving.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
• Slow Cooker Bolognese
• Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
• Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
• Instant Pot Pork Ragu

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of bone-in?

You can, but bone-in thighs hold up much better during a long slow cook. Boneless thighs tend to dry out or fall apart into shreds, which changes the dish quite a bit.

If boneless is all you have, reduce the cook time by about an hour and check early. You want them tender but still in one piece so you can serve them nicely over pasta or polenta.