Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is an easy, comforting dinner that simmers chicken with tomatoes, garlic, onions, bell peppers and herbs to create a rich, flavorful sauce. Serve it over pasta, rice, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, or enjoy it on its own.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
This slow cooker version yields a hearty chicken marinara that’s perfect for topping pasta, spaghetti squash or zoodles. It’s forgiving and adaptable: use bone-in, skinless chicken thighs for the most tender results, or substitute boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer a leaner, lower-calorie option. If following the Weight Watchers (WW) plan, serve the cacciatore over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles, or omit the starch and enjoy the sauce and chicken on their own.
The recipe here is adapted from Gina Homolka’s cookbook Skinnytaste Fast and Slow. The cookbook features a collection of slow-cooker and quick stovetop/oven recipes with straightforward ingredients and clear instructions. It’s a great resource if you’re looking for approachable weekday recipes with nutritional information provided.
For the photos featured with this post, bone-in chicken legs (drumstick plus thigh) were used, but the original recipe recommends bone-in, skinless chicken thighs. If you can’t find bone-in thighs, whole legs work well and stay moist during slow cooking.
The cacciatore base is built from aromatic onions and garlic, plus bell peppers and mushrooms, combined with crushed tomatoes and fresh herbs like thyme and oregano. After slow cooking, the chicken is removed, shredded and returned to the sauce so every bite is coated in the tomato mixture.
After a few hours in the slow cooker, the chicken becomes tender and easy to shred. Remove the bay leaf, pull the meat from the bones, discard the bones, and stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan if desired.
This dish is a family favorite: kids often enjoy it over egg noodles or fettuccine, while adults watching calories appreciate it over roasted spaghetti squash. Both ways are delicious and showcase the savory tomato-herb sauce.
More chicken recipes you might enjoy:
- Tuscan Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- Chicken Divan
- Light Chicken Parmesan
- Smothered Chicken Casserole
- Chicken with Mustard
- Rosemary Lemon Chicken Skewers
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 8 (about 40 ounces) bone-in, skinless chicken thighs, fat-trimmed (see notes for WW substitution)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
- 5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ large onion, finely chopped
- One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- ½ medium red bell pepper, chopped
- ½ medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 ounces sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, coat with cooking spray, and brown the chicken 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned chicken to the slow cooker. (If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, you can skip browning; add them directly to the slow cooker with salt and pepper.)
- Reduce skillet heat to medium, add more cooking spray if needed, then sauté the garlic and onion, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the crushed tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms, thyme, oregano and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. (If using boneless breasts, cook about 6 hours on low or 2–3 hours on high until cooked through.)
- Discard the bay leaf. Transfer the chicken to a large plate, remove and discard the bones, shred the meat, and return it to the sauce. Stir in parsley if using. Serve with grated Parmesan if desired.
Notes
- If counting WW points, prepare this recipe with 1½ to 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast instead of the thighs.
- In the photos, whole chicken legs (drumstick plus thigh) were used instead of thighs.
- To make this gluten-free, use a brand of crushed tomatoes that is labeled gluten-free.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and should be used as a guideline only.
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