Looking for a delicious and easy-to-make Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore? This classic Italian dish features tender chicken cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce with onions, peppers, and herbs. With the help of your Instant Pot, you can have a hearty and satisfying meal on the table in 50 minutes with only 15 minutes of prep time!
With juicy shredded chicken in every bite, easy clean-up, and a set and forget it style, you'll love this delicious Instant Pot chicken recipe for any night of the week. It also makes a great chicken freezer meal for meal prep and postpartum meal for new moms!
What does the Italian word Cacciatore mean?
A "cacciatore" refers to hunter-style food preparation that pairs a meat like chicken with vegetables. Common vegetables include tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and bell peppers. Wine and herbs are also often included in these dishes. Cacciatore is a long-standing traditional recipe that originates all the way back to 14th Century Italy!
This Easy Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore is a weeknight dinner must-have that is perfect year round. It's even tasty enough for low key dinner parties and is a true winner in texture and flavor.
For something extra fancy but still super easy, try this recipe with our super popular Italian Mashed Potatoes.
We also love to make a double batch for meal prep and it has a great texture for making freezer meals. Check out our other favorite freezer meals like Instant Pot Minestrone Soup, Savory Pumpkin Stew, Kale Lentil Curry, and Pork Green Curry.
Jump to:
Ingredients and Substitutions
For as delicious and rich as this cacciatore with chicken and mushrooms is, you only need basic ingredients. Made with fresh veggies, canned tomatoes, herbs and aromatics, and juicy chicken, this easy instant pot recipe comes together quickly and cooks basically hands-off.
- Chicken thighs - boneless skinless thighs are juicy and have a rich flavor, and you can substitute chicken breasts or tenders as well. For this instant pot recipe, you want to be sure not to use the chicken skin. It will become rubbery and unappetizing.
- Vegetables - I love the classic combination of fresh bell peppers and onions and love adding mushrooms for more depth.
- Tomato paste - adds rich flavor and thickens the sauce.
- Tomatoes - use canned diced tomatoes that are low in sodium to better control your salt intake.
- Mozzarella cheese - you can use regular or dairy-free cheese.
- Dry white wine - this is a subtle flavor addition that adds a little acidity. You can make this easy chicken cacciatore recipe without wine by simply leaving it out.
- Olive oil and Seasonings - smoked paprika, dried basil, salt, black pepper.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.
Variations
- Special Occasion Chicken Cacciatore - This is an elevated version of this recipe I wrote for Mashed.com. If looking to wow dinner guests, this is your recipe! However, it is more involved than this quick and easy chicken cacciatore with mushrooms recipe that requires much less effort and time.
- Beef Cacciatore - Simply swap the chicken thighs for beef stew meat. For more flavor, sauté the beef in oil for a few minutes before adding in the remaining ingredients.
- Switch up the vegetables - Try a different combination of vegetables in this hunter-style cuisine. Hearty potatoes, carrots, celery, and cauliflower would be a tasty and healthy variety.
Instructions
Making Chicken Cacciatore in the Instant Pot is an easy 3-step process! Simply add the ingredients to the instant pot, cook at high pressure, add the cheese, and enjoy!
Step 1. Fill the Instant Pot: To the pot add all the ingredients minus chicken and cheese and stir to combine. Then tuck the chicken thighs into the mixture.
Step 2. Cook: Secure the lid and cook at high pressure. When finished, release the steam and remove the lid once the pressure is fully released.
Step 3. Finishing Touches: Shred the chicken with two forks and then stir in the cheese.
Step 4. Serve: Serve warm on its own, with pasta, or with rice. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if you like.
Hint: Add in some of your other favorite vegetables like potatoes, green beans, or snap peas. You can't go wrong with a plethora of tasty, healthy ingredients!
What to Serve with Chicken Cacciatore
- Pasta - Serve with pasta for a full wholesome meal.
- Rice - this recipe also tastes amazing served over or beside freshly cooked rice.
- Polenta - Make a fresh batch of polenta and serve this easy chicken cacciatore as a side or on top.
- With fresh bread - Make our delicious gluten-free baguette and serve it alongside this recipe.
- Italian Mashed Potatoes - Our Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes taste amazing with this recipe!
Expert Tips
- Saute tomato paste. For a richer, deeper flavor, sauté the tomato paste in olive oil for a few minutes until it turns a darker shade of red.
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs. For the juiciest and full flavor chicken, thighs are the best cut to use. If you decide to use skin-on thighs, just remember to remove the skin from the pot before serving. It will be too rubbery to enjoy but can make a flavorful base.
- Thicken the sauce. If you'd like a thicker sauce, add a mix of 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch and a couple tablespoons of cold water to the instant pot once it has finished cooking and the pressure is released. Stir in the mixture and allow it to sit for a few minutes. If thickening does not occur, turn the pot to a simmer and bring to a boil for 1 minute while stirring constantly. It should thicken quickly and easily. Do this step after adding the cheese, since cheese also thickens the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in a sealable airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For meal prep, divide into individual storage prep containers.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Follow this recipe but place in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is tender and shreds easily with two forks.
To freeze this recipe, allow it to cool completely. Then, ladle it into freezer-safe containers. Once frozen, you can easily store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Making chicken cacciatore on the stove is super easy to do. You don't have to change the steps, simply add the ingredients to a pot on the stove, cover, and simmer. It will take a little longer than a pressure cooker, closer to an hour. Check the chicken at about 40 minutes. If it is easy to shred with two forks then the rest should be ready, too.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below. And if you really like it, consider a comment in the field further down. Thank you!
PrintInstant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
This one-pot easy Chicken Cacciatore is a healthy, hands-off, and absolutely crave-worthy dinner recipe made quickly in an Instant Pot.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American, Italian-inspired, Chef's Special
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces sliced or quartered mushrooms
- ¾ cup yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (regular or dairy-free cheese work here)
Spices
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fill the Instant Pot: Add all ingredients except chicken and mozzarella cheese to the instant pot. Stir the ingredients in the pot together to mix the flavors. Nestle and bury the chicken thighs into the vegetable mixture.
- Cook: Secure the instant pot lid. Cook for 25 minutes at high pressure. When finished, push the steam release button to manually reduce pressure. When pressure has been fully released, open the pot carefully to avoid steam injury.
- Finishing Touches: Add the cheese, stir in, and shred the chicken with two forks. Serve warm on its own, with pasta, or with rice. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
Storage: Store leftovers in a sealable airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For meal prep, divide into individual storage prep containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Slow Cooker: Follow this recipe but use a slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or until chicken is tender and shreds easily with two forks.
Keywords: instant pot chicken cacciatore, easy chicken cacciatore, instant pot chicken recipe
Margaret Fortier
Made this recipe and LOVED IT!! I look forward to trying many more of your recipes ! Thank you 😊
★★★★★
Jenna in Idaho
Wowowow! I actually found this blog through the recipe on Mashed. I always wondered how it would turn out if I just threw all the ingredients in the instant pot and let it go. I will definitely be trying this because the other one is a favorite!
★★★★★