Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is the latest dinner recipe that you’re going to be crazy about. Chicken thighs or breasts are slow cooked with tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper and spices to create a wonderful chicken tomato sauce. Use the sauce to top noodles or rice, or eat it all on its own.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
This slow cooker recipe makes a hearty chicken marinara sauce that is perfect for topping pasta, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Scroll all the way to the end of this post to print out the recipe. If you’re following the Weight Watchers WW plan for this recipe, you’ll want to serve it over zoodles or spaghetti squash or eat it on its own. Also, you’ll want to use chicken breasts in this recipe instead of the chicken thighs that the recipe calls for (for a lower point count). You’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card at the end of this post.
Today’s recipe comes from my friend Gina’s new cookbook: Skinnytaste Fast and Slow: Knockout Quick-Fix and Slow Cooker Recipes by Gina Holmolka: Clarkson/Potter, 2016. I was SO EXCITED to get this book in the mail the other day. Gina put her heart and soul into this second book of hers, and every recipe conveys that. There are 140 recipes included in the book– all either slow cooker or quick oven/stovetop recipes.
Here are some more recipes I’ve bookmarked to make later: Banana-Almond Smoothie Bowl, Breakfast Banana Split, Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Chili, Drunken Seafood Stew, Slow Cooker Hamburger Stroganoff, Cauliflower-Potato Tacos, Slow Cooker Stuffed Turkey Tenderloins with Gravy, Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner, Fork and Knife Cheeseburgers, Slow Cooker Brisket with Onions, Baked Fish and Chips, Salad Pizza… oh my gosh… I could go on and on! It’s really a great cookbook. There is nutritional information included for every recipe.
Gina’s original recipe calls for bone-in skinless chicken thighs (bone-in means the chicken will stay nice and tender). I had trouble finding bone-in thighs, so I used full chicken legs (drumstick + thigh) instead.
All kinds of goodies go into this one- onions, bell pepper, mushroom, tomato, herbs and spices.
4 hours later, dinner looks like this. The chicken is taken out, pulled apart, bones discarded and the meat put back in.
We love this dish! My son eats his chicken cacciatore over thick fettuccine noodles. My husband and I (forever watching our waistlines) enjoy ours over roasted spaghetti squash. Both are delicious!
Check out another recipe from this book on RecipeBoy.com >> Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes!
Here are a few more chicken recipes you might enjoy:
- Tuscan Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Chicken Divan
- Light Chicken Parmesan
- Smothered Chicken Casserole
- Chicken with Mustard
- Rosemary Lemon Chicken Skewers
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Awesome and easy Italian slow cooker recipe for chicken.
Recipe Details
Prep Time: 30 minutes mins
Cook Time: 4 hours hrs
Total Time: 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: chicken cacciatore, slow cooker chicken cacciatore
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 311kcal
Author: RecipeGirl.com (shared from Skinnytaste Fast and Slow)
Ingredients
- 8 (about 40 ounces) bone-in skinless chicken thighs, fat-trimmed (See Recipe Notes below for using WW points substituting chicken breast)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- cooking spray
- 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ large onion, finely chopped
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray, add the chicken, and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to your slow cooker. If you're using chicken breast, you can skip this step and put the chicken directly into the slow cooker (with salt and pepper). I recommend 6 hours in the slow cooker on low (2 to 3 hours high), if using breasts.
Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and coat with more cooking spray. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, thyme, oregano and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Discard the bay leaf and transfer the chicken to a large plate. Pull the chicken meat from the bones (discard the bones), shred the meat, and return it to the sauce. Stir in the parsley (if using). If desired, serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- If you are counting WW points, prepare this recipe with 1½ to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of the thighs.
- Note: in the photos for this recipe, you'll notice that I actually used 5 full chicken legs (drumstick and thigh) instead.
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use a brand of tomatoes that is known to be GF.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 311kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 118mg, Sodium: 444mg, Potassium: 630mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 610IU, Vitamin C: 26.7mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 2.3mg
