Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore: Easy Italian Dinner

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Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore: Easy Italian Dinner Crockpot chicken cacciatore brings boneless, skinless chicken breasts together with a tomato-based sauce, sliced onion, bell peppers, garlic, and a blend of dried seasonings. The chicken cooks directly in the sauce, while the vegetables are arranged around and over it before everything cooks covered in the crockpot.

This recipe includes several optional choices without changing the main slow-cooker approach. Use mushrooms, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar, or the optional olive and caper additions as desired, and decide whether to warm tortellini in the finished sauce or prepare it separately.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

The sauce begins right in the crockpot with crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, and seasonings. This keeps the sauce-building step together before the chicken and vegetables are added.

There are two cooking-time ranges to work with: approximately 3 to 4 hours on LOW or 2 to 3 hours on HIGH. Since chicken-breast thickness and crockpot performance can vary, the recipe relies on checking the thickest part of the chicken with a food thermometer rather than timing alone.

The finishing steps also allow you to choose the texture of the chicken and sauce. After cooking, the chicken can be sliced or shredded into large pieces, then returned to the seasoned sauce before the tortellini is warmed through or served separately.

Ingredients You'll Need

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the main protein in this recipe. Olive oil is optional and is only needed if you choose to briefly brown the chicken before it goes into the crockpot.

The vegetable portion includes one large sliced onion, two sliced bell peppers, minced garlic, and optional sliced mushrooms. The peppers may be red, green, or a mix, so the recipe leaves room to use the combination you prefer.

For the sauce, combine crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil, paprika, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes are mixed into the sauce with the garlic; add salt conservatively at this stage because the seasoning is adjusted at the end.

Balsamic vinegar is an optional final addition after the chicken is cooked and removed from the crockpot. For the richer Italian sauce option, add a handful of sliced black olives or a tablespoon of capers near the end.

You will also need tortellini of choice. It can be added to the crockpot at the end just until warmed through, or it can remain separate from the chicken and sauce.

A crockpot and food thermometer are part of the core method. If you choose either optional browning step, use a skillet for the onions and peppers, the chicken, or both.

How To Make It

Prep your vegetables. Slice the onion and peppers, prepare the mushrooms if using, and mince the garlic. This is where your kitchen starts smelling wonderful.

Build the sauce. Mix the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, paprika, pepper, and red pepper flakes in the crockpot.

Add the chicken and vegetables. Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Arrange the peppers, onions, and mushrooms around and over them.

Stir the vegetables gently into the sauce. Add salt conservatively, then adjust at the end.

Let the crockpot do its thing. Cook covered for approximately 3-4 hours on LOW or 2-3 hours on HIGH.

Timing varies with the thickness of the chicken and your appliance. Check the thickest part with a food thermometer; chicken must reach.

165°F. Finish that beautiful sauce.

Remove the chicken and slice it or shred it into large pieces. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, if using, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Return the chicken to the sauce.

If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and cook on HIGH for 15-20 minutes, watching the consistency. At the end add in your tortellini just until warmed through or separate.

For deeper flavor

Sauté the onions and peppers in a skillet for a few minutes before adding them. You can also brown the chicken briefly, although neither step is required.

For a richer Italian sauce

Add a handful of sliced black olives or a tablespoon of capers near the end.

Serving & Variations

Serve the finished chicken in the tomato sauce with the peppers, onion, and any mushrooms used. The chicken can return to the crockpot as slices or large shredded pieces, so choose the finish you prefer before adding it back to the sauce.

Tortellini offers two final-serving approaches. Warm it directly in the finished crockpot sauce at the end, or prepare it separately and keep it apart from the chicken cacciatore until serving.

The optional ingredients can be selected individually. Mushrooms join the vegetables before cooking, red pepper flakes are mixed into the sauce for heat, balsamic vinegar is stirred in after cooking, and olives or capers are added near the end for the richer sauce variation.

Wrapping Up

This crockpot chicken cacciatore follows a clear order: prepare the vegetables, mix the tomato sauce, add the chicken and vegetables, cook until the chicken reaches 165°F, then finish and adjust the sauce. The optional skillet steps and additions fit around that same main method.

Recipe created by Xena’s Kitchen for Trust Me Try It.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore: Easy Italian Dinner

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 Ib boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil optional, for browning
• The sauce and vegetables
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 bell peppers, sliced red, green, or a mix
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced optional
• 4 clove garlic, minced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes 28 oz
• 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, added at the end optional
• pinch red pepper flakes, if you like a little heat
• Tortellini of choice

Instructions

• Prep your vegetables.
• Slice the onion and peppers, prepare the mushrooms if using, and mince the garlic. This is where your kitchen starts smelling wonderful!
• Build the sauce.
• Mix the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, paprika, pepper, and red pepper flakes in the crockpot.
• Add the chicken and vegetables.
• Nestle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Arrange the peppers, onions, and mushrooms around and over them. Stir the vegetables gently into the sauce. Add salt conservatively, then adjust at the end.
• Let the crockpot do its thing.
• Cook covered for approximately 3-4 hours on LOW or 2-3 hours on HIGH.
• Timing varies with the thickness of the chicken and your appliance.
• Check the thickest part with a food thermometer; chicken must reach.
• 165°F.
• Finish that beautiful sauce.
• Remove the chicken and slice it or shred it into large pieces. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, if using, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Return the chicken to the sauce. If the sauce is too thin, remove the lid and cook on HIGH for 15-20 minutes, watching the consistency.
• At the end add in your tortellini just until warmed through or separate.
• For deeper flavor: Sauté the onions and peppers in a skillet for a few minutes before adding them.
• You can also brown the chicken briefly, although neither step is required.
• For a richer Italian sauce: Add a handful of sliced black olives or a tablespoon of capers near the end.