This hearty Chicken Cacciatore Recipe is made in the Instant Pot for an easy weeknight dinner. It’s packed with flavor from tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken, and herbs!
We love easy dinners in the Instant Pot. Our Instant Pot Chicken Adobo is packed with flavor and ready in 30 minutes! Readers love our Instant Pot Chicken Tacos too!
Why You’ll Love Chicken Cacciatore
I don’t have memories of eating Chicken Cacciatore growing up, but I do recall ordering this dish in a restaurant while in college.
I love mushrooms, and I went through a period of time where I would order any and everything that had mushrooms. Chicken cacciatore fit that description.
You’ll love that this comfort food classic is now an easy Instant Pot recipe!
Here’s what makes this dish a winner:
- Chicken cacciatore is comfort food, but with a bit of an elegant spin. It’s the kind of hearty dinner that will keep you feeling warm and satisfied, but it’s also something you might find at a restaurant.
- It’s (almost) a one-pot dinner since it combines chicken and vegetables in a single recipe. Just add rice or noodles and you’re good to go!
- The Instant Pot makes chicken cacciatore quick, easy, and extra flavorful. You’ll love the combination of tender, juicy chicken, herb-infused tomato sauce, and all those vegetables!
Important Ingredient Notes
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs – I prefer using thighs in the Instant Pot. They’re perfect and juicy every time!
- Canned crushed tomatoes – Crushed tomatoes form the base of our sauce. They’re saucier than diced tomatoes, but they’ve got more texture than tomato sauce.
- Vegetables – Onion, green pepper, and sliced mushrooms.
- Garlic – You can add extra if you’d like!
- Balsamic vinegar – Balsamic vinegar adds some depth to the sauce.
- Herbs – Italian seasoning, fresh parsley, and fresh basil infuse the dish with flavor.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Start the Chicken: Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and select “SAUTE.” Add the boneless chicken thighs to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes per side.
Deglaze the Pot: Pour the can of crushed tomatoes into the Instant Pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan.
Add the Vegetables and Seasonings: Add the onion, green pepper, mushrooms, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning to the Instant Pot.
Cook:
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure valve to SEALING.
- Select “HIGH PRESSURE” and a cook time of 12 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Open the lid of the Instant Pot and stir.
Finish: Add the chopped parsley and basil and serve the chicken cacciatore over noodles.
Tips and Tricks
- This Instant Pot chicken cacciatore recipe was made using a 6qt Instant Pot. Prep time does not include time it takes to come to pressure (about 12 minutes).
- I prefer using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts without changing the cook time. I find the thighs have more flavor and moisture.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can use the sauté feature and make a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it when the cook time ends.
- To make chicken cacciatore in a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Stir and cover. Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Serve with chopped parsley and basil over egg noodles.
Recipe FAQs
Chicken cacciatore is a traditional Italian dish made with meat, tomatoes, herbs, and vegetables. Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian, and this dinner represents a hunter stew.
Although you could eat this Instant Pot chicken cacciatore in a bowl as a stew, most people serve it over a starch like noodles or potatoes.
Yes, you should make sure your chicken is submerged. Layering the chicken below the vegetables and other ingredients will help.
What to Serve With Chicken Cacciatore
- Egg Noodles- my favorite
- Pasta – any other style noodle would be great too
- Gnocchi
- Polenta Recipe
- Rice
- Mashed Potatoes
More Easy Dinner Recipes
- Italian Chicken Casserole
- White Chicken Chili
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Baked Tacos
- Orange Chicken
- More Main Dish recipes
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 ounce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium green pepper chopped
- 8 ounce sliced mushrooms any variety
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 Tablespoon fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the instant pot and select "SAUTE." Add the boneless chicken thighs to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes per side.
- To deglaze the pot, add the can of crushed tomatoes to the instant pot and using a wooden spoon scrape the bits of chicken from the bottom of the pan.
- Add onion, green pepper, mushrooms, salt, pepper, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and Italian seasoning to the instant pot.
- Secure the lid and turn the pressure valve to SEALING.
- Select "HIGH PRESSURE" and a cook time of 12 minutes.
- Allow to naturally release pressure for ten minutes, then do a quick release.
- Open the lid of the Instant Pot and stir.
- Add chopped parsley and basil and serve over noodles. ENJOY.
Notes
- This recipe was made using a 6qt Instant Pot. Prep time does not include time it takes to come to pressure (about 12 minutes).
- I prefer using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts without changing the cook time. I find the thighs have more flavor and moisture.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can use the saute feature and make a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken when the cook time ends.
- Slow Cooker: Combine all the ingredients in the bottom of a large slow cooker. Stir and cover. Cook on low heat for 6 hours. Serve with chopped parsley and basil over egg noodles.
- See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.
Nutrition
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Hearty Chicken Cacciatore Recipe made in the Instant Pot for an easy weeknight dinner. Packed with flavor from tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken, and herbs!
Why do you saute the chicken and garlic?
Absolutely delicious! Came out perfect! This is one of my favourite IP recipes, thank you so much
So happy to hear it 🙂
Do you leave the garlic whole?