This Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore is a healthier and much faster cooking version of the classic. One pan and 30 minutes are all you need to make this hearty, delicious Italian meal!
Back to the grind Monday. It’s always hard to get back to your weekly routine after you’ve taken a few days off. My mom has been in town since last Wednesday and left yesterday afternoon. It was so nice having her here, I hadn’t seen her since last summer! We started almost every morning at a different coffee shop with me getting my cappuccino and her a cortado, then once we were good and caffeinated we’d head on over to one of Denver’s great parks or trails and take a nice long walk. Those are the two things I miss the most living so far away from her and it makes them that much more special when we’re together.
Anyways, now that she’s gone the house seems way too quiet and it’s hard to motivate myself to get back to work. Sometimes I forget how important it is to take a few days for myself and step away from all the cooking and blog work and enjoy all of the other things life has to offer.
The day my mom arrived in town she had the pleasure of sampling the leftovers of this Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore and I’m happy to report that she loved it! Of course I would have preferred for her to have been able to eat it the day it was made, but it’s good to know that the leftovers were just as tasty! I loved making this chicken cacciatore because it was all made in one pan and came together in about 30 minutes.
To give this recipe a healthy makeover I used only chicken breasts. Generally the dish will use the whole chicken or a combination of thighs and breasts with the skin on. Of course dark meat and skin add a lot of flavor, but when you’re looking for a lighter calorie weeknight meal this Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore is your answer. The sauce that the chicken simmers in is a combination of sautéed mushrooms, onions, peppers, garlic and crushed tomatoes. Fresh basil, parsley and thyme add amazing flavor to this easy sauce and adding in some crushed red pepper flakes gave it a little heat. After the chicken and sauce simmer together for about 10-15 minutes finish it off with a sprinkling of fresh herbs and of course parmesan cheese!
More Easy Skillet Dinners
Lightened Up Skillet Chicken Parmesan
Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Easy Skillet Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced
- 1/2 of a red bell pepper, sliced
- 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (canned)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping the chicken
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all of the chicken ingredients and rub evenly all over the 4 chicken breasts.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Spray the skillet with cooking spray and add the chicken to the pan.
- Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes per side then remove it from the skillet and onto a plate, the chicken will not be cooked through at this point.
- Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet swirling to coat it.
- Add the sliced onion, peppers, mushrooms, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the skillet and sautè for about 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add in the wine and cook for another minute or until the liquid reduces by about half.
- Stir in a half of the basil, parsley and thyme then pour in the crushed tomatoes.
- Stir everything together until combined then place the chicken breasts back in the skillet and coat them with the sauce.
- Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Sprinkle the remaining herbs and shredded parmesan cheese over the top and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 375Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 123mgSodium: 617mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 47g
I’ll be craving this all day now! Why can’t it be dinner time already? ;)
That’s what I think every morning when I’m checking out all the new blog recipes! ;-)
Danae–this is the perfect quick weeknight meal that will satisfy anyone!
Thanks Kristen!
This chicken looks so good, and so easy….and my family will sooooo love it! :-)
Thanks Kellie! Easy chicken recipes are what we eat most in our house!
This is such a perfect weeknight meal! Can’t wait to try it!
Oh I love easy skillet dishes like this!! They make life so much simpler!
Thanks Annie! I’m all about dinners that make life easy!
Wow, this looks amazing! Your pictures are gorgeous!
Thank you!
Had to tell you, made this last night! Was awesome! loved the heat of the red pepper flakes. I Served over wheat pasta. Thanks for the great receipe!
I’m so glad you liked it Vickie! Thanks for trying it out!
Made this tonight- doubled all the buggies and used red wine (all I had). Delicious!!! Definitely going into our dinner repertoire.
*VEGGIES! Doubled all the veggies ????
made this chicken skillet dish tonight, easy quick and tastes delicious. Served it with fettuccini pasta.
Chicken cacciatore over pasta is always a good idea! Thanks for trying it out Eileen!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! This was delicious and my entire house smelled divine as I was cooking. I used san marzano style tomatoes because they are my absolute favorite. I will definitely be making this again!
Happy to hear you enjoyed it Tammy! Thanks for giving it a try.
I used tomato sauce and a quarter cup of water instead of crushed tomatoes. It makes an awesome sauce. Love it. Will make again with rice