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Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
If you like saucy chicken dinners like my Instant Pot butter chicken or chicken with creamy tomato sauce, this is another cozy recipe you’ll want to add to your dinner rotation. Chicken cacciatore has always been one of my favorites because there’s just something so comforting about tender chicken simmered in a well-seasoned tomato sauce.
This version gets plenty of savory flavor from browned chicken thighs, garlic, mushrooms, herbs, and optional Kalamata olives. The Instant Pot makes the cooking process so much easier than a traditional braise. Plus, the pressure-cooking time is only 10 minutes, which is so much faster than traditional methods!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: Thighs stay juicy and tender under pressure, and the bones and skin add richness to the sauce. The skin will soften as it cooks in the tomatoes, but browning it first still adds plenty of flavor.
- Sea salt and ground black pepper: Season the chicken before browning so the meat itself is flavorful, not just the sauce.
- Avocado oil: This neutral oil handles the high heat of the Instant Pot’s Sauté setting well.
- Onion: Onion softens into the sauce and creates a savory base for the tomatoes and herbs.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic adds warmth and depth to the sauce.
- Bone broth or chicken broth: The broth loosens the browned bits from the pot and provides the liquid needed for pressure cooking.
- Mushrooms: Mushrooms add earthy, savory flavor and soak up the tomato-herb sauce as they cook.
- Carrot: Carrot adds subtle sweetness that balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Green bell pepper: Green bell pepper gives the dish its familiar cacciatore flavor and a slight savory bitterness.
- Can of diced tomatoes: Diced tomatoes create the base of the sauce while leaving it slightly chunky.
- Tomato paste: Tomato paste deepens the tomato flavor and gives the sauce more body.
- Fresh parsley leaves: Adds freshness to the rich sauce.
- Fresh thyme: Adds a woodsy, savory flavor that pairs well with chicken and mushrooms.
- Dried oregano: Reinforces the Italian-inspired flavor of the dish.
- Red pepper flakes: A small amount adds gentle heat without making the sauce overly spicy.
- Pitted kalamata olives, optional: Olives add a salty, briny contrast to the tomato sauce. Adding them at the end keeps their flavor noticeable.
Recipe Variations
One of my favorite things about this Instant Pot chicken cacciatore is how easy it is to customize depending on who’s coming to dinner.
- Keep it Whole30 or paleo: Serve it over cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or roasted spaghetti squash. My garlic lemon Instant Pot broccoli also makes an easy vegetable side.
- Make it lower carb: Pair it with mashed cauliflower, steamed green beans, broccoli, or zucchini noodles.
- Serve it family style: Spoon the chicken and sauce over rice, creamy polenta, or gluten-free pasta. My Instant Pot mashed potatoes are another delicious option for soaking up the tomato sauce.
- Skip the olives: If olives aren’t your favorite, simply leave them out. The sauce is still delicious without them.
- Adjust the heat: Add a little more red pepper flakes for extra spice, or reduce them for a milder sauce.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Step 1: Season the chicken thighs on both sides with sea salt and ground black pepper.
Step 2: Set a 6-quart Instant Pot to Sauté and add the avocado oil. Once the display reads “Hot,” add the chicken thighs and brown them for 3 minutes per side. The skin should look lightly golden and release easily from the pot before you flip it. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Step 3: Add the onions and garlic to the Instant Pot and cook for 3 minutes. Stir occasionally as the onion softens and the garlic becomes fragrant. Pour in the bone broth or chicken broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Run the spoon across the entire surface until no stuck-on pieces remain. Select the Cancel function.
Step 4: Add the mushrooms, carrot, green bell pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir until the tomato paste is evenly mixed into the sauce.
Step 5: Place the browned chicken thighs in the sauce. Secure the lid and make sure the pressure valve is set to Sealing. Cook on Manual or Pressure Cook for 10 minutes, then allow the pressure to release naturally for 10-15 minutes.
Step 6: Carefully open the lid once the pressure has released. Stir in the kalamata olives, if using, and taste the sauce. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve over cauliflower rice, rice, gluten-free pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash, or enjoy it on its own.
Expert Tips
- Don’t skip browning the chicken. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it adds so much flavor to the finished sauce.
- Scrape the bottom of the pot well. After adding the broth, use a wooden spoon to loosen every browned bit before pressure cooking. This helps prevent the Instant Pot burn notice.
- Let the pressure release naturally. It gives the chicken time to finish cooking gently so it stays nice and tender.
- Don’t expect crispy skin. Browning adds great flavor, but the skin will soften once it cooks in the tomato sauce.
- Taste before serving. Depending on the broth, canned tomatoes, and olives you use, you may want to add another pinch of salt or black pepper before serving.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Freeze the cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Store leftover chicken cacciatore with the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened more than you like.
Recipe FAQs
“Cacciatore” means “hunter” in Italian. It’s a classic Italian-style chicken dish that’s usually made with tomatoes, vegetables, and herbs simmered together until the chicken is nice and tender. Every version is a little different, and this one uses the Instant Pot to get those slow-cooked flavors in a fraction of the time.
Bone-in chicken thighs are best for this recipe because they stay moist during pressure cooking. Chicken breasts are leaner and may dry out with the same cooking time, so I don’t recommend substituting them without adjusting and testing the recipe.
This recipe can fit a keto lifestyle depending on the ingredients you use and your daily carbohydrate goals. Serve it with cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, zucchini noodles, or green vegetables instead of pasta or rice for a lower-carb meal.
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Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Video
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup bone broth, or chicken broth
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Heat a 6-qt Instant Pot to Sauté and add avocado oil. Once it indicates that the pot is "hot" add the chicken thighs and brown on both sides for 3 minutes each. Remove from the pot and set aside.2 tbsp avocado oil
- Add onions and garlic to the Instant Pot and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in bone broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom.1/2 onion, 3 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup bone broth
- Select the “Cancel” function and add the rest of the ingredients, except chicken and olives, and stir together.8 oz mushrooms, 1 carrot, 1 green bell pepper, 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves, 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- Place the chicken thighs in the sauce. Secure the lid, make sure the pressure valve is set to "Sealing." Cook on Manual for 10 minutes, and let it naturally release pressure for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in kalamata olives, if using, and taste to adjust season. Serve over cauliflower rice, rice, gluten free pasta, zoodles, spaghetti squash, or enjoy alone!1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
Notes
- Don’t skip browning the chicken. It only takes a few extra minutes, but it adds so much flavor to the finished sauce.
- Scrape the bottom of the pot well. After adding the broth, use a wooden spoon to loosen every browned bit before pressure cooking. This helps prevent the Instant Pot burn notice.
- Let the pressure release naturally. It gives the chicken time to finish cooking gently so it stays nice and tender.
- Don’t expect crispy skin. Browning adds great flavor, but the skin will soften once it cooks in the tomato sauce.
- Taste before serving. Depending on the broth, canned tomatoes, and olives you use, you may want to add another pinch of salt or black pepper before serving.
- Store leftover chicken cacciatore with the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat it gently on the stovetop or in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of broth if the sauce has thickened more than you like.
- Freeze the cooled chicken and sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My family loves this dish. Thank you for an easy win!
Wonderful! Thanks so much!!