Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
on Nov 27, 2019, Updated Oct 29, 2024
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This classic Italian dish meets up with the Instant Pot to become a easy and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Chicken Cacciatore feels homey and somehow a little sophisticated at the same time (the mellifluous word “cacciatore,” which means hunter in Italian, may have had something to do with it). And, in this recipe, it’s made in the Instant Pot, that appliance that so many cooks have fallen in love with. Easy, fast, and such great results. You can do everything in the Instant Pot: brown the chicken, sauté the vegetables, and then use the pressure cooker setting to pull it all together at the end.
Chicken Cacciatore was one of the first real “main course” dishes I learned how to make. I don’t know why I was so attracted to it, but it became, for a time, one of the stars of my young adult repertoire. You’ll want to serve this with perfect white rice, polenta, mashed potatoes, or another starch. Also, this saucy chicken dish goes perfectly with Chimichurri Garlic Bread or Best Garlic Bread.
Table of Contents
Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore: This classic Italian dish meets up with the Instant Pot to become a easy and satisfying weeknight dinner.
Chicken Cacciatore in an Instant Pot
The magic takes place in the Instant Pot: one pot to wash, and once everything is browned and returned to the pot together with the sauce, 20 minutes is all it takes to get to this total comfort food meal.
This is a pretty classic cacciatore recipe with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, red wine, and garlic. The flavor is deep and rich. The most un-classic thing about this cacciatore is just the appliance it’s cooked in: the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- Olive Oil
- Bone-In chicken thighs – Makes for the most tender cacciatore.
- Salt and black pepper – To taste.
- Yellow onion
- Bell pepper – Any color will work. I prefer red, orange, or yellow to green bell pepper, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
- Cremini mushrooms – Other mushrooms can be subbed in.
- Garlic – Sliced very thinly, it practically melts into the sauce.
- Dry red wine – You can use any dry red wine, and the same wine you use to cook the chicken will also be the perfect pairing for the dish. Many wines will be terrific choices: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, or a Shiraz are some options.
- Crushed tomatoes – The base of this flavorful and thick sauce. I like the crushed tomatoes in tomato sauce, but you can also choose tomatoes in juice.
- Tomato paste – Adds complexity and umami.
- Oregano – Fresh or dried.
- Red pepper flakes – For spice.
- Flat-leaf parsley – For freshness.
Variations
- Try thyme instead of the oregano.
- Use chicken breasts instead of thighs, but reduce the Instant Pot pressure cooking time to 15 minutes.
- Add some chiffonaded fresh basil to the cacciatore at the end.
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Sear the chicken: Using the Instant Pot Sauté setting on high, sear the chicken skin-side down for about 4 minutes. Flip and sear the bottoms until they are also golden brown, another 4 minutes or so. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Sauté the aromatics and vegetables: Add the onions to the remaining oil in the Instant Pot, and sauté until they are golden. Add the peppers, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes.
- Finish the sauce and cook: Add the red wine and stir to loosen up any fond. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add the chicken back to the pot, close the lid to the sealing position, and change the setting to High Pressure cooking for about 20 minutes.
- Release the pressure: Once the cooking time has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then manually open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Serve: Serve the chicken in a shallow serving bowl with the vegetables and sauce, sprinkled with the parsley, and with the starch of choice if desired.
Storage
You can make the chicken cacciatore up to 4 days ahead of time (providing the chicken you use is quite fresh) and reheat it slowly on the stove, in the oven, or even in the Instant Pot before serving.
What to Serve With IP Chicken Cacciatore
Often, cacciatore is served with pasta, such as fettuccine or linguine. Other choices are steamed or roasted potatoes, gnocchi, or rice. No starch underneath is also ok, but please think about a loaf of crusty bread to soak up all that sauce — you don’t want to let that get scraped into the trash uneaten, no no.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken
- Instant Pot Mediterranean Lamb Stew
- Instant Pot Ziti “Lasagna” with Bolognese Sauce
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
- Instant Pot Chicken Paprikash
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Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 medium yellow onion (halved and sliced)
- 1 bell pepper (cored and sliced)
- 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
- 3 cloves garlic (very thinly sliced)
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Cooked pasta (or rice or polenta; to serve, optional)
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting on High. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the oil, and when the oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down and sear for about 4 minutes, until the skin is golden brown. Flip the chicken with tongs and sear the bottoms until they are also golden brown, another 4 minutes or so. Transfer the chicken to a plate (do this in batches if necessary).
- Add the onions to the remaining oil in the Instant Pot, and sauté until they are golden, about 5 minutes. Add the peppers, mushrooms, and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes until peppers start to soften. The Saute setting of the Instant Pot will only stay on for 30 minutes, so if you happen to be taking your time with all of this, you may have to reset the appliance to the Sauté setting.
- Add the red wine and stir to loosen up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Turn off the Sauté setting. Add the chicken back to the pot.
- Close the lid and set the vent knob to sealed. Set the Instant Pot on High Pressure, for 20 minutes. Once the cooking time has finished, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then open the valve to release any remaining pressure. An internal thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh should read 160 F (the temperature will climb another 5 degrees to a safe internal temperature of 165 F while it is resting).
- Serve the chicken in a shallow serving bowl with the vegetables and sauce, sprinkled with the parsley, with the starch of choice if desired.
