If you're looking for a dinner that comes together super quick, has tons of flavor, and just a few ingredients, you're going to want to keep readin' about this easy chicken cacciatore!

I didn't have this easy chicken cacciatore planned to share with you, but last night I asked the hubs what he wanted for dinner because I was all out of ideas and he quickly said "CHICKEN CACCIATORE!", thinking there was no way I'd oblige. Well, as it turned out, I had everything needed for this quick and easy version of boneless chicken cacciatore and the fam loved it served over our favorite perfect brown rice. I hope you enjoy it!

What is Chicken Cacciatore?

Traditional Chicken Cacciatore is a braised chicken and tomato based dish using bone-in chicken pieces, either baked in the oven or simmered on the stove. "Cacciatore" means "Hunter" in Italian and it uses ingredients hunters may have had while trecking through the forest, like mushrooms and onions. My easy chicken cacciatore recipe is an easier twist on the traditional dish.

What Do You Eat Chicken Cacciatore With?

We love eating this easy chicken cacciatore over rice, and I think that's the traditional way of eating it, but it's also great served over some buttered egg noodles or Garlic Parmesan Pasta. It would also be great with some Ricotta Gnocchi!

How to Make Boneless Chicken Cacciatore:

Heat some olive oil over medium-high heat and cook peppers and onion with salt until just barely tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute or until it is fragrant and smells delicious!
Add canned tomatoes, pasta sauce, and some olives into the pan, stir the sauce and bring to a simmer.
Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts into the sauce in the pan, submerging each breast entirely into the sauce. Bring the sauce and chicken back to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and take chicken breasts from the sauce. Shred the chicken if desired and return to the sauce, mixing to incorporate.
Serve chicken and sauce over rice, pasta, or egg noodles with ample amounts of parmesan cheese.

Tips for Making The BEST One Pan Chicken Cacciatore

THAW YOUR CHICKEN If using frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts be sure that your chicken is completely thawed before placing in the sauce. Doing so will allow the chicken to cook faster and more evenly.
USE A LOW SUGAR TOMATO SAUCE This chicken cacciatore recipe does best when you use a tomato sauce that isn't overly sweet. Some prepared pasta sauces (I'm looking at you RAGU) have a lot of sugar in them, and I feel this recipe does better with a sauce that isn't as sweet.
JUST SIMMER For the most tender chicken, make sure to cook it only at a simmer over low. You want to see just small bubbles breaking at the surface. Cook it any higher, and you'll be quick-boiling the chicken which produces tough sometimes dry chicken.
COOK UNTIL TENDER No two chicken breasts are going to be the same size, so the cooking time will vary depending on the size of chicken breast you're using. Just cook until the chicken is very tender and is easily cut or shredded.

Other Chicken Recipes You Might Like

📖 Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
▢ 2 whole bell peppers sliced
▢ 1 whole yellow onion sliced
▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
▢ 28 ounces whole tomatoes drained and cut each tomato into fours
▢ 24 ounces favorite pasta sauce (I LOVE Mezzetta Tomato and Sweet Basil)
▢ 14 ounces black olives drained
▢ 4 whole boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Instructions

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and cook peppers and onion with salt until just barely tender. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Pour cut tomatoes, pasta sauce, and drained olives into the pan, stir and bring to a simmer.
Place chicken breasts into the sauce, submerging each breast completely into the sauce. Bring back to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Remove chicken breasts from sauce, shred, return to the sauce and serve over rice, pasta, or egg noodles with parmesan cheese.

Chef's Notes:

This recipe was originally published in April of 2016. I've updated the text and answered a few questions about the recipe here, but the recipe remains the same!

Nutrition Facts

Nutrition and Food Safety Disclosure