Hearty, comforting, and so many fun flavors. This Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish that can also be made in the Slow Cooker for an easy weeknight dinner. It’s healthy, low-carb, Keto-friendly, Paleo, and Whole30 approved.
A healthier way to enjoy Italian Cuisine!
Who says you can’t enjoy fantastic Italian food on a healthy diet? Whether it’s a low-carb Keto diet, Whole30, Paleo, and others, there is always a way to enjoy Italian food in a nutritious way. I was on a mission to prove this to my husband who replaced his beloved pasta for vegetable noodles instead.
And BOOM. We enjoyed my Classic Spaghetti with spaghetti squash, my Walnut Crusted Lemon Chicken Piccata, Chicken Alfredo, and now this Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore.
As a nutritionist, what I love about Italian food is that you can easily use plenty of fresh herbs and fresh ingredients to get really bold flavor. Chicken Cacciatore is a perfect example. I used a ton of vegetables (some that my kids picked out, but whatevs), and fresh herbs along with chicken braised in a yummy tomato sauce. We served over spiralized zucchini and potatoes, soooooooo delicious!!!
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore:
To braise the chicken in this recipe, you will use either the Instant Pot or the Slow Cooker.
I have been partial to my Instant Pot lately because of our crazy hectic schedule. For example, when I made this the other day, I had less than a 1 hour window to make the dish, photograph, clean up, and take my kids to a birthday party. Did I get it all done? YUP!!
This is definitely a set it and forget it recipe. All of the ingredients get dumped into the slow cooker or Instant Pot. If you use the IP, I do recommend sautéing the onions, garlic, and chicken prior to dumping the rest of the ingredients into the pot. This gives a bit more flavor to the recipe.
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe notes:
- The sauce will thicken up nicely and I think tastes more delicious as time goes on. I say all that to let you know, this is a perfect dish to make ahead! I often make dinner early in the day if I’m photographing (better lighting). Leftovers tasted even better the next day.
- I am very partial to chicken breast, and have a thing against chicken with bones or even other chicken parts. Chicken Cacciatore translates to Chicken hunter, and is generally a combination of different chicken parts. Feel free to swap out breasts for thighs, or use bone-in if that suits your taste.
- I used a ton of different herbs and flavor in this recipe, don’t be intimidated by the number of ingredients. If you don’t have one particular herb on hand, don’t sweat it.
- Also, the sauce may seem rather runny at first, but will thicken up.
Can I make this Keto and Whole30 Compliant?
Yes! As written, the recipe is Keto and Whole30 friendly. However, you can swap out the chicken broth and red wine vinegar for 3/4 cup red wine. I have tried that on a different non-Whole30 occasion and it was so yummy!
Because I am absolutely devoted to giving you all fast and super simple dinners that you can make on a busy weeknight, I think you will love this list of 50 of the easiest Whole30 One Pan Meals! You’ll find this Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore, more Instant Pot dinners, and other one pan meals you can make on the stovetop or oven. Even if not doing Whole30, there are plenty of healthy dinners to try!
Serving and Storing:
As mentioned above, we prefer this over zucchini noodles or potatoes for a complete meal. You an also serve over pasta, that makes it more kid friendly. I also love to serve alongside my Easy House Salad.
This recipe freezes really well! It makes a lot, so feel free to freeze half of it and enjoy at a later day. Just bring to room temperature, and let simmer on the stove to reheat. It also makes great leftovers with the flavor developing the longer it sits. It will hold up just fine in the fridge for about 10 days.
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Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Only 10 minutes of prep time is all you need to make this super simple Chicken Cacciatore! This recipe has ultimate ease allowing you to set it and forget it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast or thighs, either one is fine
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 medium sized yellow or white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14 oz can diced or pureed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 large green bell pepper diced
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup diced marinated artichoke hearts
- 3/4 cup chicken broth*
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme to serve and garnish optional
- 2 tbsp fresh basil to serve optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Slow Cooker:
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Salt and Pepper your chicken. Place inside the slow cooker.
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In a small bowl mix together the dried spices: oregano, paprika, thyme, rosemary, & salt.
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Top chicken with onion, garlic, tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, and tomato paste. Sprinkle spices on top.
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Cover chicken with remaining vegetables: bell pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts.
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Cover and cook for 4-6 hours on low or until chicken is tender and cooked all the way. Stir the sauce, add in additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve over noodles, zoodles, or potatoes. Garnish with basil and thyme.
For the Instant Pot:
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Select the saute function on your Instant Pot. While waiting to heat, salt and pepper your chicken. Cover the bottom of your Instant pot with oil, and add chicken. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pot. Add in any extra oil if needed, then toss in your onion. Cook for about 2 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute.
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Select the cancel function. Pour chicken broth (or wine if using), in the pot to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom that might have stuck (this helps to prevent burning).
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In a small bowl, mix together your dry spices: oregano, paprika, rosemary, thyme, and salt. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, and spices over the onion/garlic mixture. Give it a quick stir.
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Now top the sauce with chicken, then remaining vegetables: mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and bell pepper.
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Secure the lid. Select manual and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
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Once cooking is complete, use a quick release. You can use a towel to cover the valve to prevent a mess. Once steam is completely released, open the lid.
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Stir around the mixture. You can let sit for several minutes to thicken up the sauce, or serve immediately. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve over noodles, zoodles, or potatoes and garnish with fresh basil and thyme if using.
Recipe Notes
*In place of chicken broth you can also use a dry red wine. Just also omit the red wine vinegar if doing this option.
This was delicious! Thanks for the recipe; we’ll definitely make it again!!!
Great Julio, glad you enjoyed it!
I was lucky enough to discover your site and can’t thank you enough Amy for providing this much help/resources! Speaks a lot to your genuine desire to help others. I recently started cooking from home for dieting purposes – as eating out has been a bad habit of mine – and I’ve been especially enjoying the recipes on your site.
While I must carve out more time for some meal prep, at least the plan and shopping list is handled 🙂 I’m not sure if your readers would be interested, but I have a free report detailing my experience and tricks I’ve used to aid me in losing some fat. Good job, Amy! Hope your generosity returns to you 7 fold:)
Tried this over the weekend and my kids’ asked for seconds!! This was a delicious winner!! Thanks!
Oh yay! Glad you enjoyed it Tobi!
This looks amazing! I love the artichokes in there! Such a simple prep too!
Thanks Renee! And yes, I love artichokes in everything 🙂
This looks so good! I’m always searching for more IP recipes and can’t wait to try this one.
Thanks Becky! Hope you enjoy 🙂
I love how deeply comforting this looks, plus I love a simple and flavorful recipe since time is always short during the weekdays!
Me too, Kari! Perfect for busy weeknights!
That came out looking so perfect, your pictures are absolutely gorgeous! And I was hooked the second I saw a couple of mushrooms resting on the top there.. I’m always looking for more slow cooker recipes, I will definitely give this one a go. Thanks!
Thanks Mark! Hope you enjoy it!
Chicken cacciatore is my faaaavorite!! the ultimate comfort food for this italian-blooded girl, ha. Love this version with the zucchini noodles too!!
Thanks Dana! Zucchini noodles or potatoes are perfect with this!
Oodles of zoodles! Love how beautiful and comforting this looks.
Thanks Christina!
Oh yum! I haven’t had a cacciatore since I was diagnosed as Celiac so honestly had forgotten about it, but that needs to change. This looks delicious and like something my family would devour!
Hope you try it and enjoy Michele!
I eat it with quinoa, but you could also eat it with rice for gluten free, or potatoes, spiralized zucchini, or cauliflower rice. It even tastes awesome on it’s own, but it’s great to have something to soak up the delicious gravy.
This sounds delicious! Chicken Cacciatore is a favorite in my home too! I love that you serve it over all of those zoodles.
Thanks Emily!
I just got an Instantpot and can’t wait to make this!
That’s awesome, Erin! I love my Instant Pot, have fun!
I adore slow cooker recipes and this one looks absolutely divine! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
Thanks Stacey.
Couldn’t be without my slow cooker it make life so much easier for busy mammas thanks for inspiration, I’m trying this later
MMMM.. This has my belly rumbling….so hearty and delicious…
The colors and flavors in this dish look nothing short of incredible…
This looks so good and I love that it’s made in the IP! I’m with you- fresh herbs are so good for adding big bold flavor and still keep it healthy.
Thanks friend! You know how much I love my Instant pot 🙂
Oh, this looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Katja! Enjoy!
This dish is so delicious ! It’s calling my name ! I need to make them this week. YUM !!
Hello.
Sounds fab. I was just wondering if this can be cooked then frozen an reheated after thawing?
Kim
Hi Kim, Yes!!! Just don’t freeze any noodles or zoodles, but the rest of it will be delicious!
Delicious — Made this tonight and the kids and I loved it. The slow cooker instructions do not state when to add the red wine vinegar. You may want to correct the recipe to include that. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks, Tina! I’ll change it now 🙂
You are a great cook, I have loved your recipe and my partner too, I thank you very much and I follow you very closely, keep it up
Thank you!
This was a very good recipe. I”m new to the Instant Pot craze and really enjoying some renewed cooking passion (I was a professional chef for 10+ years).
I made a few changes to the recipe. I cut sodium by using low-salt broth and tomatoes, and then replaced it by adding a few Anchovy Fillets while sauteeing the onions and peppers (I sauteed peppers with onions). I added a few variety of non-hot peppers to add depth of flavor, and I added calamata olives at the same time as “the rest of the veggies).
I served mine over whole-wheat Penne Pasta. Topped with Pecorino Ramano. Was very good.
four stars only because it would be better by doing all the steps involved with the traditional dish. For a quick meal, in under an hour, it’s a solid 5-star.
Thanks Matt, those sounds like delicious additions. Thank you for your feedback!
This was fantastic! Even my picky three-year-old loved it. One question – do you think a double recipe will fit in the 8 qt Instant Pot? I don’t remember how full the pot was with the single recipe. If yes, do you think I need to adjust the cooking time? Thanks!
Not sure, but I think it could work!! As you are adding ingredients, just make sure it doesn’t go above the fill line.
I’m curious — after QR, if you want to wait to eat, do you still open the pot and stir? Then, close it back up and Keep Warm?
Hi Phyllis, if you are waiting to eat, I would do a natural release. Open the lid and stir, and let it sit. This recipe in particular tastes great if it rests for awhile!
I made this in my Instant Pot and it was good! I had about 8 servings out of 2.5lbs chicken (boneless skinless breasts cut in half and boneless skinless thighs), kiiind of doubled sauce (I used a can of diced tomatoes AND a can of tomato puree, and winged the spices a little), and 32oz of fettuccine. Embarrassingly, I forgot the mushrooms, so I have no comment on them.
Great Becky! Hope you had plenty of leftovers!!
Excuse me: Did you really leave cooked chicken on the counter for 6 hours?
Yes I do. It’s in warm mode on my Instant Pot which means it’s still slowly cooking. Not much different than slow cooking chicken!
This looked so good, and I was excited to try it in my 8 qt Instant Pot. Doubled the recipe, and followed it exactly, but the IP would not pressurize. After the first 8 min cycle, tried it again, and no luck. I now have it in there on high pressure for 20 mins, so we’ll see what happens. Any thoughts on why doubling the recipe might prevent the IP from pressurizing?
Hmmmmm, there should be enough liquid. I know for a larger instant pot you need an extra cup of liquid. So maybe it needed another cup of chicken broth? But since you doubled the recipe it should have been fine. That would be my best guess! Randomly my IP didn’t come to pressure after two tries a few weeks ago for a tried and true recipe. It worked after the 3rd time. Hope it worked out for you!!
My husband gave me an instapot for Christmas. This was the 2nd recipe that I made. It came out amazing! I put it over zoodles and some leftover veggies.
Again, another delicious meal my whole family loved!
This looks fantastic. Did you drain the tomatoes or artichokes before adding or add the liquid? I’m thinking I will try this in my InstantPot.
This is the best recipe ever that I’ve found for”hunter’s” chicken. It was also the first dish I made to inaugurate my new Instant Pot—and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results! Since I never follow a recipe exactly, I made a few very minor tweaks—used red wine instead of wine vinegar as suggested, and increased the amount to 1 cup; used 2 tablespoons of organic Better than Bouillon chicken base instead of regular strength chicken broth; and added four bay leaves. The sauce was not watery or thin, and it thickened to a perfect consistency after resting for a couple of hours. Of course it tasted even better the next day! Being a newbie pressure cooker (haha), I’m thrilled with the Instant Pot technology, and I’m deeply grateful for this cooking blog. I’ve bookmarked dozens of your recipes, and am really looking forward to co-creating your yummy food! Thank you❤️
Love to hear that, thank you!! I also agree that it tastes better the next day 😉
What a fantastic recipe, I could not purchase any artichoke hearts, we live in a very small rural area, I added a tin of baked beans to the recipe, I’m sure this is not traditional, but we have our seven year old Grandaughter staying so I have to make it interesting for her too. I served the whole thing over white rice, everyone loved it. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Hi. This recipe looks amazing and I am excited to serve it over zuccchini noodles but I was wondering if we strain the diced tomatoes or marinated artichoke hearts first
Hi Kristin, strain the marinated artichoke hearts, but keep the tomatoes in their juice. Hope you love it!
This was exceptionally good! I added 1/2 tsp anchovy paste. So flavorful-everyone love it. Served it with warm, crusty bread and a salad. Will definitely make again! Thx!
Love to hear that!!
I would like the nutritional info for this recipe if it is available.
I’m looking forward to trying this in my slow cooker. Do you recommend sautéing the chicken breasts before putting them in the slow cooker? Also, my slow cooker has low, med, and high settings, which setting do you recommend? Thank you.
You don’t have to saute the chicken before hand, but you could. Without the saute, it will have a more shredded chicken consistency. IT should be cooked on LOW, I’ll update those directions now!
This was fantastic! I had the day off so put in Instant Pot around 1 and kept on warm after the 8 min pressure cook until 5. I think it allowed sauce to thicken. I shredded the chicken to serve over pasta. My teens loved it. Will definitely make again!
That’s how I make mine, too! Love to let is sit warm so the sauce can thicken.
This was so delicious. I made it with chicken breasts and used red wine instead of broth. Loved it!
I followed the recipe exactly and it came out great!
Can I use frozen chicken thighs? If so, do I need to change cooking times?
For the instant pot you can, it will just take longer to come to pressure. I have not tried with the crockpot, so I din’t Know if more time would be needed!
I just made this for the first time and used the Instant Pot and the wine. It was sooo good. I love you for being someone else who has a thing about chicken! My boneless, skinless chicken breast was tender and delicious.
Thank you, Randy!
Absolutely delicious! And quick and easy as well! I substituted Kalamata olives for artichoke hearts. My husband said it’s the best chicken dish he’s ever had and called it “restaurant quality”!
Such a good compliment, thanks for sharing!
What is best way to prepare potatoes if serving
You can spiralize potatoes and bake for 20-25 minutes. Or you can roast in a skillet then pop in the oven.
I searched for a recipe that had flavors much like the dish that I remember my mom cooking, when I was a child. I’m not Italian, but I looked for a dish that had all the essence of that in my memories. I then found you! I have not yet ate it, but my house has filled up with such a fragrant smell. I took the suggestion of using red wine in place of the chicken broth, but I think that I could have used half broth and half wine. It was to me, lacking a little salt and pepper. I did added some red pepper flakes and a splash of hot sauce. I forgot to buy oregano, but I had dried Italian seasoning, so that had to do. I saute the mixture to reduce it and to thicken it. Gurl, so good!
This was absolutely delicious. I used chicken thighs, added some fennel and used red wine, with great results. Now making it with fennel and Brussel sprouts and will see how it turns out. Thank you!
I made a modified version in my InstantPot tonight. We loved it! 🙂 Thanks!
The variety of ingredients and herbs/spices drew me in. Perfect in the IP every time—in my Top 10recipes. I double the mushrooms and adjust seasoning a little. Works as a soup/stew-y dish with baguettes.
Top 10 for me too!!! Thanks, Paul!
Sorry, I haven’t been able to find how much chicken broth (or wine) to use in the IP recipe.If it’s somewhere I apologize. Could you help me?
Yes, it’s 3/4 cup of either one.
This was delish. Thank you for a great recipe….it’s a keeper!
Just made this in the instant pot and oh my Lord it was amazing! It made a ton of sauce, so it actually turned out better when I doubled the amount of chicken.
Made this today followed the recipe using red wine and thighs. It is delicious!
This was delicious and we’ll be making it often. I used chicken breast and the only change I made was to add some crushed red chili flake because we like our cacciatore spicy. We had it on Sunday, today is Friday and my husband is asking for it again already. :). This recipe didn’t disappoint, so thanks for posting!
So happy to hear that!! And I also like mine with crushed red pepper.
Amy, this was delicious. My chicken was halfway defrosted, so I was unsure, but it turned out great in the IP. I improvised a little: didn’t have peppers so I added carrots, and I added 1 T of minced anchovies for more of that umami flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I’ll definitely make it again.
That’s great, I love the addition of anchovies!
Even better as a left over!! The flavors continue to develop!
I made this one this week in the slow cooker it was amazing
YES!!!!
Just made this with the instant pot directions. It was EXCELLENT. I was out of artichokes and added some red pepper. It was chilly where I live today and this was delicious and cozy.
Agree, so cozy and delicious!
Made this tonight on our first chilly evening in Arizona and everyone looooved it. Gave it at least a 10! It’s full flavored and so good. Thank you for such delicious recipes. This one’s a keeper!
Agree, so perfect for a chilly night!!
This sounds great, except I do not like Artichokes so I’m going to leave them out. Any suggestions for a substitute. Thanks
You can just leave them out!
I was disappointed in this recipe. I use my Instant Pot often and followed the instructions exactly. I found the sauce to be runny and watery. I boiled it down but found that the flavors never penetrated the chicken. Perhaps the cacciatore I was looking for is better suited for a slow cooker than the Instant Pot.
Does this recipe call for bone-in or boneless chicken?
boneless, but you could also use bone-in.
Wow, great recipe! We had never made cacciatore, but I am glad to add this to my arsenal!
I did mine in a large cast iron skillet, stovetop and oven, so I thought I’d share that in case someone else was wondering about it. Turns out to be very quick to make!
Here’s how I did it:
Pre-heated Oven with Cast Iron in Oven, to 400 degrees.
Removed Hot Pan and On stove top, browned bone-in chicken on all sides. Set chicken aside and added tomato paste to cook a bit, then Onions and garlic, then added all the seasonings and liquid. Nestled the chicken back in with drained artichokes, mushrooms, peppers and my addition: olives.
Returned to 400 degree oven and my bone-in chicken was done in just 20 minutes!
Note: I had a ton of sauce left, I thought it would cook down more in the open cast iron, but I had at least 3 cups of lovely liquid. It was very rich, so did not need reducing. I used it to make keto noodles and determined that next time. I might just freeze it to use for a quick weeknight meal with some more chicken.
I think this dish would be great for make-ahead or freezing…with all that sauce, one could double up the other ingredients and freeze 1/2 for a future meal.
Thank you, Mary for your detailed and kind review! So many good tips in here!
I made your IP version which was very good. Now I’m trying it in my slow cooker. I noticed you omitted the vinegar and olive oil in this version. Was I supposed to include?
If I use fresh chicken drumsticks, does time to cook change?
I have not tried with drumsticks, but it should be the same cook time!
So easy and delicious I made it twice in one week, once with bone-in thighs and once with boneless breast. I included carrots and parsnips as well. This is a keeper!
Did you use bone-in chicken thighs or skinless boneless? Do I need to adjust the instapot settings or timing if I have bone in chicken thighs?
You can use either one. I prefer boneless/skinless. It does not make a difference on the timing.
Poorly written. The oil and vinegar are in ingredients but not in the procedure of the recipe. It is like putting together a kit and finding extra pieces not used, and wondering why it does not work as planned!
The oil is under the Instant Pot instructions (not needed for the slow cooker). The vinegar is in both sections.
Made this for the first time this evening in the instant pot – devoured by everyone! So much flavour and depth, will become a regular I think. Thank you for such a great recipe.
This was OUTSTANDING!! Adding it to my personal recipe book for regular rotation!
Made this last night for company and they were all fighting over who was going to take the leftovers home! Delish! Thanks!
Love this!!
I made this in my Instant Pot and it was absolutely delicious!! I am always a bit skeptial when doing boneless/skinless breast in the Instant Pot becuase they can sometimes come out a bit rubbery -but these were perfect. I cut them in half so they would be about the size of a thigh. The sauce is amazing and if you don’t let it thicken too much it’s like eating a wonderful cacciatore stew – I ate it just as is, no noodles, potatoes etc needed. Definitely will be in regular rotation at our house! Thank you!!
What is the nutrition info?
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I made it for my husband and three sons (they can be quite picky) and they couldn’t get enough of it and all wished there were seconds- but there wasn’t a single bite left! It was very easy to prep too (I used chicken breasts). This one is definitely a keeper! Thank you!
You are welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Sadly I didn’t have all of the spices so I substituted equal amounts of Italian Seasoning for dried rosemary and thyme and used Balsamic Vinegar for the red wine. Thank you for your recipe. Best Chicken Cacciatore, ever. It is now in my rotation for meals.
I love that you were able to make these substitutes!