This classic Italian Chicken Cacciatore features tender juicy chicken thighs braised in an Italian mushroom and white wine tomato based sauce!
FREE EASY KETO DINNERS EBOOK
Jump to:
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- 🛒 What's in Keto Chicken Cacciatore
- 🔪 How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- What is Chicken Cacciatore and What is Cacciatore Sauce Made of?
- Which Country Food is Chicken Cacciatore?
- Is Chicken Cacciatore Better with Red or White Wine?
- Do You Take Skin off Cacciatore?
- Are Tomatoes Keto?
- Are Mushrooms Keto? How Many Carbs in Mushrooms?
- Tips for the Best Chicken Cacciatore
- More Keto Italian Recipes
- More Chicken Recipes
❤️ Why You'll Love this Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
- Juicy chicken thighs braised until tender
- Vibrant and hearty tomato based sauce
- Loaded with mushrooms, olives and thinly sliced onions for added flavor
- Classic Italian recipe made super easy
- Freezer friendly
Though the name Chicken Cacciatore may have you thinking it's a complicated recipe that will take you hours to prepare, that couldn't be further from the truth.
It's tender juicy chicken thighs braised in a mushroom, white wine tomato-based sauce, with thin slices of onion and fresh basil peeking through!
The delicious mouth-watering flavors in this dish will have everyone coming back for seconds. It's also freezer friendly, so save those leftovers for another time!
🛒 What's in Keto Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken thighs
- White wine
- Crushed tomatoes
- Diced tomatoes
- Baby bella mushrooms
- Onion
- Garlic
- Kalamata olives
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
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🔪 How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
Heat a large skillet to medium and add in the olive oil. Add half the salt and pepper on the chicken, then sauté for a few minutes on both sides, just until seared, but not cooked through.
Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Tip: While you can certainly use chicken breast instead, chicken thighs are more tender and better suited for this recipe.
Add in the mushrooms, onions, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for about 3-5 minutes, just until they start to show some color.
Add in the garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds, careful not to burn it.
Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the tomatoes, olives and basil.
Add the chicken back in an simmer on low heat with the lid offset, for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Tip: Make sure the lid is actually offset, so that much of the steam can escape. This will help thicken the sauce.
Traditional cacciatore is typically served over pasta noodles or rice. But with this Keto version, you can serve it over zucchini noodles or any of your favorite Keto side dishes. I love to serve it with Palmini Noodles.
What is Chicken Cacciatore and What is Cacciatore Sauce Made of?
The word cacciatore means "hunter" in Italian. A cacciatore recipe is a dish served "hunter style" with chicken, tomatoes, herbs and spices braised in wine or a vinegar style base.
Which Country Food is Chicken Cacciatore?
Chicken cacciatore or "hunter's chicken" is a dish that originated in Central Italy. This is a bit North of where my family is from, but it's certainly a dish that I grew up eating and learned to make at an early age.
Is Chicken Cacciatore Better with Red or White Wine?
This really boils down to personal preference, I have always made it using Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, but you can use the wine that you prefer.
Do You Take Skin off Cacciatore?
Honestly, it can be made with the skins on or off, but I've always made it without the skins because the texture of the skins after braising aren't very appealing. I tend to only keep the skins on recipes where they can stay crispy after sautéing.
Are Tomatoes Keto?
In moderation they are just fine for those on Keto or low carb diets. It should be noted that they are considerably higher in carbs than most Keto veggies. For a ½ cup of tomatoes, there are approximately 6 grams of carbs.
Tomatoes are nutritious too! Tomatoes are a good source of several vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, potassium, vitamin K, and folate. If you'd like to know more about the health benefits of tomatoes, check out this article on Healthline.
Are Mushrooms Keto? How Many Carbs in Mushrooms?
Besides the chicken and tomatoes, mushrooms are another main ingredient that makes this dish so rich and decadent. There are approximately 4 net carbs per serving of mushrooms, so yes, they are great for Keto!
Mushrooms are not only low carb, they're are a good source of protein, fiber, vitamin C, folate, iron, zinc as well as a great source of vitamin B6, vitamin D, thiamin, riboflavin, potassium, copper, and selenium.
You can read more about the nutrition in mushrooms in this article found on Healthline.
Tips for the Best Chicken Cacciatore
- Chicken thighs helps add to the richness of this recipe. However, you can use chicken breasts if you prefer. Brown large chunks of chicken breasts the same way as instructed for the thighs in this recipe.
- This recipes builds flavors with each step. Be sure and scrape up all those little brown bits of flavor after browning the chicken.
- Be sure and use a wine that you'd like to drink to deglaze the pan.
- Leave the tomatoes and mushrooms chunky. This gives this dish the hunter style texture you'd expect in cacciatore.
- In order to keep this as low carb as possible, be sure you look for tomatoes with no sugar added on the label.
More Keto Italian Recipes
- Chicken Parmesan
- Instant Pot Chicken Marsala
- Shrimp all Vodka
- Italian Breadsticks
- Chicken Parmesan Casserole
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Skillet
More Chicken Recipes
If you're looking for more meal prep inspirations, check out this article, 25+ Easy Keto Meal Prepping Ideas!
FREE 20 EASY KETO RECIPES EBOOK
Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes, lowest carb
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, lowest carb
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- ⅓ cup white wine, I use Pinot Grigio
- ½ medium onion, sliced thinly
- ⅓ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet to medium and add in the olive oil. Add half the salt and pepper on the chicken, then sauté for a few minutes on both sides, just until seared, but not cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and set it aside. Add in the mushrooms, onions, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for about 3-5 minutes, just until they start to show some color.
- Add in the garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds, careful not to burn it. Add in the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the tomatoes, olives and basil. Add the chicken back in an simmer on low heat with the lid offset, for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Traditional cacciatore is typically served over pasta noodles or rice. But with this Keto version, you can serve it over zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash or Palmini Noodles.
*Make sure to scroll up and read the post for substitutions, additions and helpful tips for making this recipe.
*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol: Swerve, Erythritol, Monk Fruit or Allulose.
© Copyright for Keto Cooking Christian LLC. Please use the share buttons to share on social media, but please do not copy/paste the recipe.
*Originally published on May 30, 2018, updated on June 26, 2023 with improvements to the recipe, new photos and helpful tips.
Melinda Shaw
This looks so good! I am learning to use an Instapot and wondered if you could help with how to use the recipe using it?
Keto Cooking Christian
I have not personally made this recipe in the Instant Pot. I would think you could use the sauté function, followed by the recommended pressure-cooking guidelines for cooking the chicken.
BAKOL
Can I do this in the crockpot,??
Keto Cooking Christian
I've never made this in the crockpot before, but I'm sure you could. I would brown everything first, then allow it to cook until the chicken is tender.
Carmen Banks
I don't drink or like the taste of wine. Do you think the recipe would come out delicious if I used chicken broth instead of wine?
Keto Cooking Christian
Hi Carmen,
It will change the flavor slightly, but should still be delicious!
Sebastian
Is this actually Keto though? I know onions when cooked release a lot of sugars, and the canned tomatoes also are typically preserved with a lot of sugars. I am dying to give this recipe a try and the pictures look amazing. I just wanted to make sure that this is truly 100% Keto-friendly and won't throw my ketosis out. If it is for sure then let me know and I will gladly cook this up!!
Keto Cooking Christian
Hi Sebastian,
I'm not a Nutritionist or medical professional so I cannot guarantee anything at 100%, but to the best of my knowledge this dish is Keto friendly and has never kicked me out of Ketosis. With that said, everyone is different and some things will effect certain people vs. others. For example, some people can use the Skinny Syrups in their BPC and other's say it spikes their insulin. You can always do some research or reach out to a Nutritionist to get their advice if you are concerned.
Kathryn Robinson
WOW!! I made this recipe for my boyfriend and I tonight ant he loved it!!! This tasty dish turned out fantastic.
I will definitely make it again and for the many dinner parties that I through.
Keto Cooking Christian
Hi Kathryn,
So glad to hear this dish was a hit with your boyfriend! Thanks for stopping by to let me know 🙂