Easy oven baked chicken cacciatore recipe makes weeknight cooking a breeze! Dump chicken thighs, peppers, onions, and tomatoes in a baking dish and forget about it while your oven does all the work!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Red Gold®. The opinions and text are all mine.
Why make chicken cacciatore in the oven?
The beauty of this Italian recipe comes from a simple list of ingredients, combined with effortless prep, yielding such a powerhouse of flavor. Baked cacciatore has become a family favorite dinner not only because everyone enjoys eating it, but I have no qualms with making such an easy recipe!
- Dump and bake – Simply layer everything in a casserole dish, throw it in the oven, and forget it!
- Effortless prep – You really can’t mess up this recipe. In fact it’s so simple, this would be an ideal meal to get the kids involved. See the attached recipe video for how they can help!
- Healthy – Baked chicken cacciatore is naturally gluten free, dairy free, low carb, and full of healthy veggies, such as nutrient-rich tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms.
Ingredients needed
What you put in your home cooked meals matters. Layering quality ingredients produces a rich, stand-out taste, no matter how simple it is to make.
For an optimal tasting sauce, be sure to use Red Gold® Tomatoes. This brand has been ingrained in me since grocery shopping with my Mom over 40 years ago.
Now that I cook for my own family, I unquestionably follow suit because my Mom never messed around when it came to superior ingredients. Red Gold’s remarkable taste comes from vine-ripened tomatoes that are steam packed fresh to preserve the best, true tomato flavor.
Just like any Midwesterner, we are spoiled by the best tomatoes all summer long, but Red Gold® conveniently packages that sweet summer taste year-round. Find which local grocery store carries Red Gold® Tomato products near you with their online store locator.
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs (see recipe notes for substituting chicken breasts)
- Italian seasoning
- Garlic
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- White wine, red wine, or chicken broth
- Bay leaf
- Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes
- Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes
- Capers
- Red Gold® Tomato Paste (for thickening sauce)
How to make baked chicken cacciatore recipe
- Lay the chicken in a 9X13 baking dish. Sprinkle the tops with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and minced garlic.
- Lay the veggies – onions, peppers, and mushrooms – over the top of the chicken. Pour the wine over everything and add a bay leaf to the top.
- Top the veggies with a can of Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes and Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes. Sprinkle additional salt, pepper, Italian seasoning on top, then add capers.
- Bake in a 375ºF oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fall-apart tender and sauce has reduced slightly.
- If desired, thicken sauce by using a slotted spoon to scoop out chicken and stir enough Red Gold® Tomato Paste into the sauce for ideal thickness. Serve with cooked pasta, rice, polenta, or riced cauliflower for a low carb option.
frequently asked questions
Traditionally cacciatore is served over cooked pasta, such as spaghetti. However, it also tastes great over egg noodles, rice, or polenta.
For low carb chicken cacciatore, serve as is or over riced cauliflower.
Yes, but using boneless skinless thighs adds flavor to sauce and yields tender, fall-apart meat.
If you would rather use chicken breasts, the cooking time will be about 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Use a thermometer to be sure the internal temperature has reached 165ºF.
If you are not shredding the chicken into the sauce, you may want to thicken it slightly before serving. To do this easily, after baking use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken.
Stir in a few tablespoons Red Gold® Tomato Paste right into your baking dish and then place the chicken back. Not only does this make a thicker sauce, but it also adds a more concentrated tomato flavor.
Wine: Red (best flavor) or white wine for a more complex sauce, but chicken broth may be used in its place.
Veggies: Red peppers are recommended for sweeter flavor. Use any preferred mushrooms, such as white button or baby bella, or leave out.
Chicken: Chicken thighs adds the best flavor. I prefer boneless skinless, but bone-in chicken thighs may also be used. If substituting breasts, the cooking time will be about 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
Capers: These may be left out if you aren’t a fan!
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step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
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Oven Baked Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon pepper, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounce mushrooms, sliced
- ½ large onion, halved and sliced thinly
- 2 bell peppers (any color), sliced
- ½ cup red wine (best), white wine, or substitute chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 14 ounce can Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes
- 14 ounce can Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 2-4 tablespoons Red Gold® Tomato Paste, (optional, for thickening sauce)
- For serving: (optional) crushed red pepper, grated parmesan cheese, cooked spaghetti, rice, polenta, or riced cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a 9X13 inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning, and minced garlic over the chicken.
- Layer the mushrooms, onions, and peppers over the chicken. Pour the wine or broth over the top and add bay leaf.
- Top the veggies with Red Gold® Crushed Tomatoes, Red Gold® Diced Tomatoes, and capers. Sprinkle remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning over everything.
- Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fall-apart tender and the sauce has reduced slightly.
- If desired, thicken sauce by removing the chicken with a slotted spoon. Stir in 2-4 tablespoons Red Gold® Tomato Paste into the baking dish with the veggies, and add chicken back to the dish. Serve over cooked spaghetti, rice, polenta, or riced cauliflower.
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Equipment Needed
Recipe Notes
Substitutions / modifications
Veggies: Red peppers are recommended for sweeter flavor. Use any preferred mushrooms, such as white button or baby bella, or leave out.
Chicken: Chicken thighs adds the best flavor. I prefer boneless skinless, but bone-in chicken thighs may also be used. If substituting breasts, the cooking time will be about 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts.
Capers: These may be left out if you aren’t a fan!
Nutrition
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Red Gold®. The opinions and text are all mine.
This post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
Kathi says
I used the directions but made it in the crockpot so I could divide and freeze half. It was wonderful from the crockpot; going to bake remaining with rice and cheese.
Melissa says
Thank you so much, Kathi! Love the rice and cheese add!
Best,
Melissa
Kelli says
This is the first recipe I’ve made from Mama Gourmand. I’m newly allergic to gluten and quickly grew tired of fish and rice. This recipe BLEW MY MIND! My super picky, wont eat leftovers husband even loved it. Super easy, super flavorful. Served it over pollenta. It was amazing. A fan for life.
Melissa says
This is so awesome, Kelli! I hope you find more recipes here for you and your “picky” husband!
Best,
Melissa
Janis Rau says
Making tomorrow!
Melissa says
Awesome! Let me know what you think!
Best,
Melissa