Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

I love when I come home from work and smell an amazing dinner cooking. At that moment, all is right in the universe! Even though I’m tired and starving I don’t have to scramble and figure out dinner! And it’s all thanks to that amazing kitchen gadget…the Crockpot!

This recipe, in particular, smells incredible while it’s cooking away. Easy crock pot chicken cacciatore. It’s really a delicious Americanized version of chicken cacciatore and is loaded with peppers and onions.

The wine gives it a nice depth of flavor and the sugar takes care of the acidity of the canned tomatoes. The sauce gets a little watery because of all the veggies so give it a good stir before you serve it.  This makes a nice weeknight meal. I like it served over a little rice or pasta and a generous dash of Parmesan cheese.

If you love slow cooker recipes, I hope you’ll try my crockpot pork tenderloin, crockpot chicken and dumplings, crockpot pork chops (smothered in mushroom and onion gravy!!), and super creamy crockpot mac and cheese! I promise your family will love each and every one of these recipes!

Let’s make this slow cooker chicken cacciatore!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients

• Bacon: Adds a nice smokiness to the dish.
• Mushrooms: I like the extra flavor cremini mushrooms add. You can use white button mushrooms if you’d like.
• Garlic: Adds a lovely sweet, mellow flavor.
• Tomato Paste: Adds great tomato flavor.
• Wine: I love the flavor the red wine adds to the sauce. If you don’t want to add any alcohol, add a little extra balsamic.
• Onion: This recipe calls for red onion.
• Peppers: I add 1 red and 1 orange bell pepper. Use whichever color you’d like.
• Roasted Red Peppers: Yes, I use fresh and jarred peppers.
• Tomatoes: I like to use crushed tomatoes. San Marzano taste best.
• Capers: Add a subtle brininess to the dish.
• Balsamic: Adds a bit of mild acidity.
• Oregano: I crush the oregano in my hands as I add it to the slow cooker.
• Italian Seasoning: My favorite blend is McCormick Perfect Pinch Italian Seasoning.
• Red Pepper Flakes: You can add more or less per your heat tolerance.
• Garlic Powder: Enhances the garlic punch.
• Chicken: This recipe works best with chicken thighs. They stay moist and tender during the long cooking process.
• Salt + Pepper:
• Parsley: This is added at the end of the cooking process and adds a nice herbaceous freshness.
• Cornstarch: I whisk together cornstarch and water to create a slurry to thicken the cooking liquid at the end of the cooking cycle.

Tips:

• Hold It! After the chicken has cooked to tender, it will hold well either warm in the crockpot or cooled and refrigerated.

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How Long Will These Last In The Fridge? These will last in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Can This Be Frozen? Technically yes. That said after long slow cooking the veggies get so tender that they don’t hold up well to freezing.
• Make-Ahead Tips: I like to make this recipe the night before and store it in the slow cooker crock, cover it with plastic wrap, pop it in the base, and cook set it to cook in the morning.
• Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.

Serving Recommendations

I love to serve this with my garlic bread or copycat Olive Garden bread sticks.

My Mediterranean salad, pasta salad with Italian dressing, roasted green beans, or easy roasted peppers round out this dish to be the perfect meal!

How To Make Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

1. Cook the chopped bacon.
2. Transfer the bacon to the slow cooker.
3. Cook the mushroom.
4. Add garlic, tomato paste, and wine.
5. Cook until the liquid begins to boil.
6. Pour into the slow cooker.
7. Add the onion, bell pepper, roasted peppers, canned tomatoes, capers, vinegar, herbs and spices.
8. Add the chicken.
9. Cook on low for 4 hours or until the chicken is very tender. Add the cornstarch slurry. Stir.
10. Serve.

***See the full instructions below.

More Slow Cooker Recipes You’ll Love!

• Crockpot Goulash
• Crockpot Breakfast Casserole
• Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Crockpot Potato Soup 
• Crockpot Creamy Ranch Chicken
• Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

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Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

This slow cooker chicken cacciatore smells incredible while it's cooking away. It's really a delicious Americanized version of chicken cacciatore and is loaded with peppers and onions.

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, sliced into ½-inch pieces
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 8 garlic cloves, smashed and rough chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces jarred roasted red peppers drained and roughly chopped(about 1 heaping cup)
• 3/4 cup crushed or diced canned tomatoes about half a 14-ounce can
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 - 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• salt + black pepper

Cornstarch Slurry:

• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup tap water

Optional Toppings

• basil, julienned
• parmesan

Instructions

• Cook the chopped bacon (1/2 pound) in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. After most of the grease is absorbed from the cooked bacon, add to the slow cooker.
  
• Cook the mushrooms (1 pound) over medium-high heat in the bacon drippings, stirring occasionally, until they're tender and have released most of their liquid, and are beginning to brown.
  
• Add the garlic (8), tomato paste (1 tablespoon), and wine (1/4 cup) to the mushrooms and continue to cook until the liquid begins to boil. Stir the mixture, being sure to scrap up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Pour into the slow cooker.
  
• Add the onion (1/2 large), bell pepper (1 red + 1 orange), roasted peppers (8 ounces), canned tomatoes (3/4 cup), capers (1/4 cup), vinegar (2 tablespoons), oregano (1 teaspoon), Italian seasoning (1 tablespoon), red-pepper flakes (1 teaspoon) and garlic powder (1 teaspoon) to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
  
• Add the chicken (2 -2 1/2 pounds), season with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and stir to combine. Cook on low until the chicken is very tender and the flavors are blended about 4 hours. (At this point, the dish holds well in the warm setting for several hours.)
  
• Cook on low, about 4 hours, or until the chicken is very tender and the flavors are blended.

Make Slurry:

• In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch (3 tablespoons) with the water (1/2 cup) until smooth. Pour into slow cooker. Turn up the heat to high, cover, and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened,
  
• Stir in the parsley (1/3 cup) and let it warm through. Adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Serve overcooked pasta, in hoagie rolls, or overcooked rice. Top with basil and Parmesan.

Fans Also Made:

• 
  Crockpot Chicken And Gravy
• 
  Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
• 
  Crockpot Creamy Ranch Chicken
• 
  Mississippi Chicken

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Notes

1. Hold It! After the chicken has cooked to tender, it will hold well either on warm in the crockpot or cooled and refrigerated.

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Source: Adapted from Mostly Homemade Mom

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