This Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore is the ultimate easy dinner! Tender chicken thighs are slow-cooked with marinara sauce, bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and a hint of red pepper flakes for the perfect balance of flavors.
Simply add the ingredients to the crock pot, let it cook, and enjoy a comforting meal with minimal effort. Great for busy days when you want a delicious, hearty dinner ready to serve!
Jump to:
- 🩵 About This Recipe
- What readers are saying...
- 🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- 🔪 Let's Make Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore!
- 💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- ❔ FAQs
- 📝 Substitutions and Variations
- 🥡 Storage and Reheating
- 🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
- 😋 More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You'll Love
- 📋 Recipe Card
- 💬 Reviews and Comments
🩵 About This Recipe
This incredible slow cooker Italian chicken dish is the perfect dinner when you know you won't have time to cook a meal in the evening! It comes together in minutes and results in a wholesome and filling dish that the whole family will love.
Featuring tender chicken, earthy mushrooms, and convenient pepper and onion strips, this is an all-in-one dinner that cooks all day, hands off! With just a handful of simple ingredients, dinner time has never been easier.
What readers are saying...
Yum, one of my favorite dishes & now in the slow cooker. Bonus!
- Theresa
🧂 Gather Your Ingredients
- marinara sauce - description or information or why is it in the recipe. what flavor or texture or visual appeal does it add.
- pepper and onion strips - feel free to slice fresh produce, but I like to use a frozen medley for super quick prep.
- sliced mushrooms
- minced garlic - you can use fresh if you like but minced is super convenient!
- red pepper flakes - reduce or omit if you don't like your food too spicy.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs
🔪 Let's Make Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore!
(Or click here to jump right to the recipe card with measurements!)
Combine Ingredients
To a large mixing bowl, add marinara, mushrooms, peppers and onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
Mix Well
Mix until all the veggies are evenly combined.
Arrange Chicken
Place the chicken thighs in a single layer in the bottom of a slow cooker.
Slow Cook
Pour the sauce and veggies over top of the chicken and slow cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. Enjoy!
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- You can make this a dump-and-go meal by combining all of the ingredients in a plastic bag and storing in the fridge. Just pop in the crock pot when it's time to cook!
- Be sure to avoid overlapping the chicken if possible for more even cooking.
- Give the slow cooker a little spray of oil before adding everything to prevent sticking.
- For easier cleanup, use a slow cooker liner.
❔ FAQs
Yes, as long as you fully cook the chicken it's perfectly safe! Chicken is safe to eat at an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
You can sear the chicken thighs if you like, but no prior cooking is needed before adding them to the slow cooker. But if they're frozen, you should let them thaw first.
This is usually a result of overcooking, so check the chicken at 6 hours and only keep cooking if it's not fully cooked yet.
📝 Substitutions and Variations
- You can also use chicken breasts if you prefer! They cook a little faster than chicken thighs so be sure to keep an eye on them.
- If you prefer, you can use other vegetables like frozen sliced squash. During the last half hour of cooking, you can also stir in some spinach, broccoli, or artichoke.
- Make this dish even more filling with ingredients like chickpeas or white beans.
- Increase the flavor with some balsamic vinegar or red wine.
- Give this dish a cheesy twist by topping with some mozzarella or Parmesan.
Kristin’s Kitchen Tip
Feel free to dump the frozen veggies right into the slow cooker!
🥡 Storage and Reheating
Keep crock pot chicken cacciatore leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze for 3 months or so.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over medium high heat. Allow frozen leftovers to thaw before reheating.
Keep It Handy
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🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
Make this Slow Cooker Italian Chicken even heartier by serving over spaghetti, penne, or fettuccine. Another option is to serve over this Lemon Dill Rice or some Slow Cooker Quinoa.
😋 More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes You'll Love
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken - This 2-ingredient recipe couldn't be easier to put together!
- Chicken Thighs in Honey Beer Sauce - You'll love the unique flavor of this tender chicken dish.
- Slow Cooker Honey Soy Chicken - This shredded chicken combines sweet and savory for a delicious meal any night of the week.
- Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta - Make this copycat recipe from Butter Your Biscuit instead of spending too much money at a restaurant!
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Slow Cooker Italian Chicken
⭐ Did you make this recipe? Awesome! I would love to hear from you. Please give it a star rating and review below! 👇
📋 Recipe Card
Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 24 ounces marinara sauce (1 jar)
- 20 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion strips
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (fresh)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more if you like spicy food)
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the marinara, frozen peppers and onions, mushrooms, garlic, and red pepper flakes.24 ounces marinara sauce, 20 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion strips, 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Lightly spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray. Place the chicken in the crock pot.2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Pour the marinara mixture over the chicken, cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours.
Notes
Prep Tips:
- There's no need to thaw the frozen bell pepper and onion strips before using them in the marinara mixture.
- Make it a dump-and-go meal by combining all ingredients in a zip-top bag or large bowl ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator, then dump into the crock pot when ready to cook.
Variation Suggestions:
- Use different frozen vegetables if desired. You can even mix and match smaller packages of different veggies. I use to use 1 small bag of peppers and onions and 1 small bag of squash sliced (however, now I cannot find frozen squash slices anywhere so I just use the peppers and onions).
- Add canned, drained white beans or chickpeas to make it heartier.
- Stir in zucchini, spinach, or artichoke hearts in the last 30 minutes of cooking to boost the veggies.
- Mix in a splash of red wine or balsamic vinegar for extra depth of flavor.
- Top with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan just before serving for a cheesy twist.
Serving Suggestions:
- Serve over spaghetti, penne, or fettuccine for an Italian-inspired dish.
- Or serve over steamed rice or quinoa.
- Pair with toasted Italian bread or garlic bread for dipping into the sauce.
- Try with zucchini noodles (zoodles) or cauliflower rice for a low-carb alternative.
- Shred the chicken and serve on a toasted hoagie roll for a saucy, messy sandwich.
Storage Info For Leftovers:
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Cool leftover cacciatore completely and freeze in portions for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or microwave in one-minute intervals until heated through.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in January 2016, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in March 2025.
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Happy cooking!
Natalie says
This is a family favorite! Easy and yummy. The family doesn’t even realize they are eating squash!
Kristin says
That has been my experience as well! So glad to hear that you guys like it, Natalie. Thank you for coming by to let me know! 🙂
Trish Gregory says
I am wondering if the vegetables should be put in the sauce while frozen?? That's what the recipe instructions say, but the author says she defrosts the chicken and frozen vegetables overnight. Which is correct? Thanks.
Kristin King says
I keep the vegetables frozen, but thaw the chicken overnight (which is what I meant to indicate in the text of the post, sorry if that wasn't clear!) Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Ashley says
This looks amazing. I love easy prep crock pot meals! Keep 'em coming 🙂
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome says
This looks amazing!!! I love my slow cooker - Thanks for sharing on the What's for Dinner link up - Would love it if you would comment there! And don't forget to visit a few other bloggers while you're there!
BRYAN Tribble says
Time is not my problem, being half way retired, only 40 hours a week now, HA. I want to cut the time in half will it work on High?
Kristin King says
Hi Bryan, thanks for stopping by! I know we worked this out via email, but just for posterity I will also say it here. I haven't tried it with the crock pot set to high, but I would say give it a shot, just make sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't turn into complete mush. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
AJ says
Any thoughts on cutting this in half? How long should it cook in the crock pot and what size crock pot? It is just me and my daughter.
Kristin King says
Definitely you can cut this in half and make it. Or you can make the whole recipe and freeze half for another time. I have a 5 or 6 qt crockpot (it is not listed on the crockpot and I can't remember, sorry!). If you make only a half recipe, you would still cook on low, and it would still take about 6 hours, but you could definitely use a smaller crockpot if that is what you have. I hope you and your daughter enjoy it! This is one of our favorites.
Theresa @DearCreatives says
Yum, one of my favorite dishes & now in the slow cooker. Bonus!
Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & shared. Hope to see you again soon.
Heather @MySweetMission.net says
Thank you Kristin for linking up this delicious Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore at the Creative Muster Party and hope you'll stop by Tuesday night at 6 pm EST to party with us again! Shared on Facebook with my followers. 🙂
Heather
MySweetMission.net
Frugal Hausfrau says
One of my fave meals, but now that I think about it I haven't had it in ages! Great use of frozen veggies! Thanks much for bringing this by Throwback Thursday this week and hope to see you next Thursday. I'll be pinning it to our TBT board!
Mollie
Helen Fern says
oh my this looks wonderful! Would love to have you share on the "What's for Dinner" link party -
http://www.lazygastronome.com/1622-2/