Italian Chicken Cacciatore: Slow Cooker Recipe

Why You’ll Love This this Italian Chicken Cacciatore

This slow cooker chicken cacciatore practically makes itself while you go about your day, filling your kitchen with those amazing Italian aromas that’ll have your neighbors wondering what magic you’re working in there.

You get tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken swimming in a rich, herb-packed tomato sauce that tastes like it simmered for hours on someone’s Italian grandmother’s stove, but honestly requires about ten minutes of actual work from you.

The best part is watching everyone’s faces when they dig into this restaurant-quality dish and realize you basically just dumped everything into a slow cooker and walked away – it’s like having a secret cooking superpower that nobody needs to know about.

Ingredients List

This chicken cacciatore comes together with simple pantry staples and fresh ingredients that you probably already have hanging around your kitchen.

• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
• 8 skinless chicken thighs or 8 chicken drumsticks
• 1 lb thin spaghetti
• Parmesan cheese, shredded

• Parsley, chopped for garnish
• Lean protein boost: Using skinless chicken cuts back on saturated fat while still giving you all that juicy flavor
• Veggie power: Between the tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms, you’re sneaking in a solid serving of vegetables without even trying
• Sodium watch: Since canned tomatoes and tomato paste can be pretty salty, you might want to taste before adding all that salt, especially if you’re watching your sodium intake
• Whole grain swap: Consider using whole wheat pasta instead of regular spaghetti for extra fiber and nutrients

Step by Step Directions



This slow cooker chicken cacciatore transforms simple ingredients into a rich, flavorful Italian meal with minimal hands-on preparation.

• Prepare the base: In your slow cooker, combine diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper.
• Add remaining ingredients: Stir in the sliced mushrooms and chicken pieces, making sure everything is well coated with the tomato mixture.
• Set and cook: Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 7 hours until chicken is tender and cooked through.
• Prepare pasta: During the last 30 minutes of cooking, prepare the thin spaghetti according to package directions and drain.
• Serve: Plate the cooked spaghetti and top with the chicken and sauce, then garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley.

For those who prefer oven preparation, a quality casserole baking dish can be used to create this same comforting meal with traditional baking methods.

Substitutions and Variations

• Swap the protein: Chicken breasts work perfectly if you prefer white meat, though they might get a bit more tender (some would say mushy, but who’s judging) than thighs.

Boneless cuts will cook faster, so check around the 2.5-3 hour mark on high.

• Mix up the vegetables: No green pepper? Red bell peppers add sweetness, or try adding diced zucchini, carrots, or even some baby spinach in the last hour.

To be frank, this dish is pretty forgiving about whatever vegetables are lurking in your crisper drawer.

• Different mushroom varieties: Button mushrooms, cremini, or portobello all bring their own earthy flavors to the party.

If you’re feeling fancy, a mix of wild mushrooms makes this taste like you ordered it from that Italian place downtown.

• Pasta alternatives: Sure, spaghetti is classic, but penne, rigatoni, or even egg noodles work beautifully.

Rice pilaf or creamy polenta turn this into something completely different but equally satisfying.

• Spice it up: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like things with a little kick, or throw in some fresh basil and oregano instead of the dried Italian seasoning for a brighter flavor.
• Wine addition: A splash of white wine (maybe half a cup) added with the tomatoes creates extra depth, though to be frank, most of us will probably drink the wine while the slow cooker does its magic.

Additional Things to Serve With This Dish

This hearty Italian dish deserves some equally satisfying sides to round out your dinner table.

• Crusty Italian bread or garlic bread**** – Because you absolutely need something to soak up every last drop of that rich, tomatoey sauce.

To be frank, what’s the point of making cacciatore if you’re not going to mop up the plate afterward?

• Simple green salad with balsamic vinaigrette – A crisp salad cuts through all that savory richness and makes you feel like you’re eating something healthy, even though you’re about to go back for seconds of the chicken.
• Roasted vegetables – Zucchini, eggplant, or bell peppers roasted with olive oil and herbs complement the Italian flavors without competing for attention.
• Caesar salad – The classic pairing that never goes out of style, especially when you add those little store-bought croutons that somehow taste better than homemade ones.
• Steamed broccoli or green beans – Sometimes you just need something green on the plate to balance out all those beautiful reds and browns from the sauce.
• Antipasto platter – If you’re feeling fancy, some olives, cheese, and cured meats turn this into a proper Italian feast, though to be frank, most of us will probably just grab whatever’s easiest from the fridge.

Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)

A few small tricks can turn your good chicken cacciatore into something that’ll have people asking for the recipe.

• Don’t skip browning the chicken first – Yes, I know it’s a slow cooker recipe and you want the convenience, but just a quick sear in a hot pan adds so much more flavor that it’s worth the extra dish to wash.
• Let the tomato paste cook for a minute – If you’re browning the chicken anyway, toss that tomato paste into the same pan for about 60 seconds before adding it to the slow cooker, because raw tomato paste tastes exactly like what it is: concentrated regret.
• Add fresh herbs at the end – Dried Italian seasoning does the heavy lifting during cooking, but a handful of fresh basil or parsley stirred in right before serving makes everything taste like you actually know what you’re doing in the kitchen.
• Don’t lift the lid – I get it, you want to peek and see how things are going, but every time you lift that lid, you’re adding about 15 minutes to your cooking time, and frankly, we’re all hungry enough already.
• Thicken the sauce if needed – Sometimes slow cooker sauces end up a bit watery, so mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with cold water and stir it in during the last 30 minutes if your sauce looks more like soup than, well, sauce.
• Use bone-in, skin-on chicken – The bones add flavor and the skin, even though it won’t get crispy, still contributes richness that boneless chicken just can’t match.

Nutritional Facts

This hearty Italian dish delivers a satisfying balance of protein, vegetables, and complex carbohydrates while staying relatively moderate in calories.

• Calories per serving: Approximately 520-580 calories (based on 6 servings)
• Protein: 35-40 grams from chicken thighs and parmesan cheese
• Carbohydrates: 65-70 grams, primarily from pasta and tomatoes
• Fat: 12-15 grams, mostly from chicken and cheese
• Fiber: 4-6 grams from vegetables and whole grain pasta (if substituted)
• Sodium: 800-950mg, largely from canned tomatoes and added salt
• Vitamin C: High content from bell peppers and tomatoes
• Iron: Good source from chicken and enriched pasta
• Potassium: Excellent source from tomatoes and mushrooms
• Calcium: Moderate amount from parmesan cheese
• B vitamins: Rich in niacin and B6 from chicken
• Lycopene: Abundant antioxidant from cooked tomatoes

Fun “Did You Know?”

Did you know that “cacciatore” literally means “hunter” in Italian, and this rustic dish originated as a way for hunters to cook their catch using whatever vegetables they could forage in the countryside?

I find it fascinating that this one-pot wonder traditionally used rabbit or wild game, but chicken became the popular substitute in Italian-American kitchens.

The slow cooker method I’ve shared mirrors the original low-and-slow cooking technique hunters used over campfires.

Today’s version maintains that same hearty, comforting essence that made tired hunters feel satisfied after long days in the wilderness.