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Tomato-Braised Chicken Cacciatore

Bone-in chicken thighs browned and braised low in a rustic crushed-tomato sauce with mushrooms, bell peppers, onion, garlic, kalamata olives, oregano, and torn basil.

By Camille McLaughlin, RDN, LD, registered dietitian nutritionist

Built forPaleoDinner
Also fits High-Protein Low-Carb Whole30
Bone-in thighs brown deep and then braise low until the meat gives at the bone and the sauce thickens around them. Mushrooms go dark and meaty, peppers collapse into sweetness, kalamata olives make the whole pot briny, and torn basil goes in at the last second while everything is still steaming.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe

This is a one-skillet braise for anyone who wants a hearty, deeply savory dinner without much fuss or a long list of specialty ingredients. Bone-in chicken thighs are forgiving and stay juicy through a long simmer, and the sauce comes together from vegetables and pantry staples you can keep on hand. It is a comforting cold-weather supper that reheats beautifully, which makes it a strong choice for feeding a household or cooking once and eating across a couple of nights.

Everything the sauce needs is left in the pan first. Browning the thighs first builds a golden, flavorful crust and leaves behind fond in the pan that dissolves into the sauce. Cooking the mushrooms until they give up their liquid concentrates their savory depth, while the onion and bell peppers soften into sweetness. Then the whole thing braises low and slow so the chicken turns tender and the crushed tomatoes reduce and cling, with the kalamata olives lending a briny, salty edge and the oregano and basil carrying the herbal backbone.

It fills you honestly rather than heavily. The thighs deliver plenty of protein, the mushrooms, peppers and onion add real vegetable volume and fiber, and the olive oil and olives bring satisfying richness. The flavor comes from browning, reduction and herbs. A bowl of this leaves you full and steady, and the tomato sauce is good enough that you will want something to mop it up with.

Chicken thighs half-submerged in chunky red tomato sauce with mushrooms and peppers, torn basil on top. Save
Prep: 15 minsCook: 40 minsTotal: 55 minsMakes: 4 servingsServing: 2 thighs with sauce and vegetables

Ingredients

Serves4Amounts change with the number. The nutrition panel is per serving, so it stays the same.
  • 8 bone-in chicken thighs, browned
  • 1 2/3 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 3 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 cup kalamata olives
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 cup torn basil
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Prep the vegetables: Dice the onion, slice the bell peppers into strips, slice the mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Tear the basil into rough pieces and set it aside for the end.
  2. Brown the chicken: Pat the chicken thighs dry and season them with the salt, dividing it evenly over both sides. Warm the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, then lay the thighs in skin-side down. Cook without moving them until the skin is deep golden and releases easily, about 5 to 6 minutes, because chicken skin lets go of a pan on its own once it has browned and tears if you rush it, then turn and brown the other side for another 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will finish cooking in the sauce.
  3. Soften the vegetables: Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, bell peppers and mushrooms to the same skillet and cook, stirring now and then, until softened and the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 6 minutes, since that water has to cook away before the tomatoes go in or the braise tastes thin. Stir in the minced garlic and dried oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  4. Build the sauce: Pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the kalamata olives. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. If the sauce looks tight, add a splash of water until it loosens into a pourable braise.
  5. Braise: Settle the browned thighs back into the sauce along with any juices from the plate, skin-side up so the tops stay above the liquid. Cover and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender and cooked through and reads 175°F (80°C) at the thickest part near the bone.
  6. Finish and serve: Taste the sauce before serving; between the kalamata olives and the seasoned chicken it should already be well salted. Garnish with the torn basil just before serving.
Nutrition Facts
4 servings per recipe
Serving size2 thighs with sauce and vegetables
Calories336
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g24%
Saturated Fat 4g19%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 110mg37%
Sodium 322mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 18g6%
Dietary Fiber 5g18%
Total Sugars 9g
Includes 0g Added Sugars 0%
Protein 27g
Vitamin D 0.2mcg1%
Calcium 87mg7%
Iron 3.9mg22%
Potassium 860mg18%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Values are computed from USDA FoodData Central and are estimates. Per serving (2 thighs with sauce and vegetables).

Variations

  • Spicy arrabbiata style: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes with the garlic and oregano for a warm, lingering heat that plays against the sweet peppers and briny olives.
  • Extra herbal lift: Stir in a spoonful of chopped fresh rosemary or thyme while the vegetables soften for a woodsier, more aromatic sauce.
  • Caper brightness: Swap or supplement the kalamata olives with rinsed capers for a sharper, tangier bite in the tomato sauce.
  • Roasted pepper depth: Use jarred roasted bell peppers, drained and sliced, in place of the fresh ones for a smokier, mellower flavor in the braise.
  • Thigh-and-drumstick mix: Use a mix of bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks for variety on the plate; keep them all skin-side up so the tops brown and the braise cooks evenly.

Storage & Leftovers

Let leftovers cool, then store the chicken and sauce together in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keeping the thighs submerged in the sauce keeps the meat moist.

Reheat gently in a covered skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring the sauce and spooning it over the chicken until everything is hot through. Add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much in the fridge. Microwaving works, covered and in short rounds, so the meat does not tighten.

This braise actually improves overnight as the flavors settle, so it is a good make-ahead meal. Cook it a day in advance, refrigerate, and reheat before serving. Hold the torn basil and add it fresh at the end so it stays bright.

Notes & Tips

A few notes from my kitchen to help this braise come out its best every time.
  • Dry the skin for a real sear: Pat the thighs thoroughly dry before they hit the oil. Surface moisture steams instead of browns, and a dry surface is what gives you that deep golden crust and the fond that flavors the sauce.
  • Do not crowd the pan: Brown the chicken in batches if your skillet is tight. Packed together the thighs steam and stay pale, so give each piece room and let it sit undisturbed until it releases on its own.
  • Let the mushrooms release their water: Cook the mushrooms until the liquid they give off has mostly evaporated before moving on. That step concentrates their savory flavor and keeps the finished sauce from turning watery.
  • Season the olives with care: Kalamata olives are salty, so taste the sauce before adding much salt at the end. You may need less than you expect once the olives and their brine have simmered in.
  • Check doneness at the bone: Bone-in thighs are best a little past the usual poultry temperature, around 175°F (80°C), where the connective tissue softens and the meat turns tender rather than tough. An instant-read thermometer near the bone is the surest gauge.
  • Serve it with something to soak up the sauce: The reduced tomato sauce is the best part, so plan for a way to catch it, whether that is spooned over roasted cauliflower, a pile of sauteed greens, or mashed sweet potato.

Nutrition & Mindful Eating

Chicken thighs browned hard and then left to sit in tomatoes, mushrooms and olives until the meat gives way and the sauce goes glossy. A long, forgiving braise that mostly cooks itself.
  • The thighs, the tomatoes and the long braise are the whole recipe. The chicken renders its fat into the sauce, the tomatoes break down around it, and the mushrooms and peppers soften into the same deep savory thing.
  • Chicken thighs have enough fat and connective tissue to sit in a simmering pan for a long time and come out better for it, pulling apart at the fork, and they bring the kind of dense protein that holds you for a long stretch, along with the iron and zinc darker poultry carries.
  • Mushrooms release their water into the sauce and then take it back seasoned, which is why they end up tasting so meaty, and they add fiber and B vitamins to a pot that is otherwise mostly tomato and chicken.
  • Chopped kalamata olives scattered through are the sharp, briny counterweight to all that sweetness, and the crushed tomatoes around them turn rounder and darker over the braise, their lycopene easier for your body to take up after time in olive oil.
  • Onion and garlic cook down at the start and effectively vanish, leaving their depth behind, dried oregano goes in early enough to soften into the sauce, and fresh basil is torn over at the very end so it stays green and sweet.
  • As you eat, tear the basil over your own plate so you get it at full strength, and let a dish that took this long be something you sit with rather than rush.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead of bone-in?

Yes, though bone-in thighs stay juicier and add flavor to the sauce during the long simmer. If you use boneless, shorten the braise to about 15 to 20 minutes and check that the meat reaches a safe internal temperature, as boneless pieces cook faster and dry out more easily.

My sauce turned out watery. What happened?

Usually the mushrooms had not fully released and cooked off their liquid before the tomatoes went in. Next time cook them until the pan looks dry, and if the finished braise is still loose, uncover it and simmer a few extra minutes to reduce and thicken.

Can I make this in a slow cooker or Dutch oven?

Both work well. Brown the thighs and soften the vegetables on the stovetop first for flavor, then transfer everything to a Dutch oven and braise covered in a low oven, or to a slow cooker on low, until the chicken is tender.

What can I serve alongside to round out the meal?

Anything that catches the sauce is ideal, such as roasted cauliflower, mashed sweet potato, sauteed spinach or a simple green salad. The braise is saucy and forgiving, so pick a base that soaks up the tomato and olive juices.