Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore is one of those iconic dishes that has to simmer for hours to really infuse those flavors well. No more! The Instant Pot melds those flavors together in no time. You gotta have this one in your meal rotation.

While cooking chicken breast in the Instant Pot will always be my go-to for busy weeknight meals, I do love a good cacciatore. Cacciatore is a classic Italian dish full of produce such as onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic and herbs and is often prepared with rabbit or chicken.

In Italian, cacciatore means “hunter”. This simple yet flavorful dish is believed to have been brought about by hungry hunters who were out hunting for days at a time and needed a delicious, filling stew that was easy to prepare and cook outdoors to keep up their stamina.

This dish is already quite simple to prepare, but cooking it in the Instant Pot makes it even easier. (Don’t have an Instant Pot? Grab one here.)

It’s traditional to use dark meat in chicken cacciatore, rather than white meat, as it contains more fat, which makes a thicker, more flavorful sauce. We use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in our recipe, making it easy to prepare while still maximizing flavor. We also take advantage of the sauté function on the Instant Pot to brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables and garlic before throwing it all together and putting the lid on.

When the Instant Pot is done cooking, we recommend a natural release of pressure, which helps prevent the chicken from drying up and results in a more tender and juicy product. You can serve this Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore as-is for a simple, yet delicious soup (BONUS: it’s low carbohydrate and gluten-free) or you can bulk it up by serving over cooked rice, with pasta, or over mashed potatoes.

This recipe tastes great any way you serve it, keeps well stored in the fridge, and makes us love the Instant Pot even more. Plus, your family is going to love it. That’s a win all on its own.

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Contributor: Brittany Poulson

Chicken Cacciatore is one of those iconic dishes that has to simmer for hours to really infuse those flavors well. No more! The Instant Pot melds those flavors together in no time. You gotta have this one in your meal rotation.

• Author: Brittany Poulson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Entrée
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: Italian

Print Recipe

Ingredients

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• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 and ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• ½ medium green bell pepper, sliced
• ½ medium red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar (or red wine)
• ¾ cup chicken stock or broth
• 1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. minced fresh basil (or ½ tsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. minced fresh oregano (or ½ tsp. dried)
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

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Instructions

1. Pour the olive oil in the Instant Pot and turn on sauté mode. When the oil is hot add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes total. Remove from the pot and set aside.
2. Add the onion, bell pepper and mushrooms (plus extra olive oil, if needed to prevent burning) and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and continue sautéing an additional 30-60 seconds. Turn off the sauté function.
3. Return the chicken to the pot along with the red wine vinegar, chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
4. Secure the lid. Make sure it’s set to Sealing. Set to pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. When the timer is done, allow for a natural release of pressure.
5. Once pressure is completely released, remove the lid and stir the cacciatore. Let it sit for 10 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.