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This Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore recipe has tender, fall-apart chicken and a slow cooked taste without using your oven or stove! Easy, simple, rustic Italian comfort food at its best.
I’ve made this electric pressure cooker Chicken Cacciatore recipe twice already… the first batch of photos weren’t my favorite, so I decided to redo them. The decision wasn’t too tough since I really didn’t mind eating it a second time. The depth of flavor in the Chicken Cacciatore’s sauce is just fantastic.
Searing the chicken right in the Instant Pot helps seal that flavor in. Like I’ve mentioned before, that’s one of my favorite features of the IP. 🙂
We’ve got a delicious combination of herbs in this classic dish along with garlic, carrots, a rich tomato sauce, and Kalamata olives. Can’t go wrong.
Prefer to make this on the stove? I’ve got you covered with my Easy Chicken Cacciatore.
What cut of chicken do you use in Chicken Cacciatore?
I wanted this boneless Chicken Cacciatore recipe to be a no-fuss, family-friendly recipe, so I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You could use bone-in chicken thighs or chicken breasts if you wish. Chicken breasts are typically drier than chicken thighs when you cook them in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, so I generally prefer using chicken thighs for recipes like this.
How to make Chicken Cacciatore in the Instant Pot (summary):
Sauté the onions in your Instant Pot and then add the chicken. Add the remaining ingredients (except for olives, fresh basil + parsley, and salt & pepper) and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. I then let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes prior to doing a manual pressure release. The chicken is tender, juicy, and falls apart.
What to serve with Chicken Cacciatore
Italian Chicken Cacciatore is great with mashed potatoes or rice. You could also serve it over polenta, pasta, or egg noodles.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot chicken recipes? Try my Instant Pot Coq au Vin, this Instant Pot whole chicken recipe or my Instant Pot honey garlic chicken recipe.
Will you give this easy Chicken Cacciatore recipe a try? Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or comments.
Easy Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (28 fluid ounce) can fire roasted crushed tomatoes with juices
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- Leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and onion to your Instant Pot. Sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken to the Instant Pot and cook for 2 minutes/side.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper, carrot, garlic, thyme, and oregano. Close the lid and set the valve on "sealing". Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (it'll take 10-15 minutes for it to get up to pressure).
- Once the countdown has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes. You can then manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Season with salt & pepper and stir in the olives, basil, and parsley.
Notes
- Serves 4-6.
- Inactive time indicates the time is takes the Instant Pot to get up to pressure then release pressure.
- I use this 6-quart Instant Pot.
- Check out the stovetop version of this recipe.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I followed your recipe and food was good, but when I opened Instant Pot, there was tremendous amount of liquid. Do you turn on Sauté feature to get rid of excess fluids for when I opened pot, the image was not like your photo!
Hi Bob! I don’t recall turning on the sauté function after, no. You can definitely do that to reduce some of the sauce if you think there’s too much, though.
This came out awesome, the only thing I changed was to lightly coat the thighs in flour and add some baby Bella fresh mushrooms. I also deglazed with red wine. I don’t have an instant pot, but a nesco multipurpose cooker, it doesn’t have things like a rice button, so it is more versatile. It also tends to heat up way faster then instant pot apparently, only taking about 7-8 minutes to reach temp before the pressure cooker timer came on. It tastes like I spent all day cooking it and the chicken thighs were tender and juicy!
Hi Barb! So happy it worked out. I’m glad you were able to translate this to a different type of appliance. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! ♥️
I added the same things. Can’t wait to see how it turns out
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Could I use frozen chicken thighs? How long would you cook them for if so?
You could try. Maybe add another couple mins?
You are a great cook, I have loved your recipe and my partner too, I thank you very much and I follow you very closely, keep it up…
Does this freeze well?
Hi Judy! I did find it froze well.
If I followed your recipe exactly and wanted to add 1/2 to 3/4 cup white rice, would there be enough liquid in the can tomatoes; or, should I add a touch more liquid (broth, wine, etc.)?
I’d add a little more liquid, but it’s hard to say. Some of the newer Instant Pots seem to get burn warnings very easily when you add rice (even in soups, oddly enough). It is a fairly saucy dish, but yeah, I think more liquid for rice wouldn’t be a bad idea. Wine or broth would work for sure. And give it a really good stir before closing the lid so the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Really good. Used thighs with the bone in and served over bow tie pasta. Will be making this again. Thanks for the recipe
Awesome! You are very welcome. 🙂
really like the taste and was easy
Excellent! Thanks for letting me know.
Question! I didn’t see any mention of liquid in this recipe. I’m new to the Instant Pot, so I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of liquid. Is it always just assumed that you use it if the recipe doesn’t call for it, or will it be okay without it? Thank you!
Hi Julie! There’s a lot of liquid in the 28 fluid ounces of crushed tomatoes (use the whole can). Hope you like the recipe! 🙂
Haha, I realized that the crushed tomatoes with their juices was the liquid, but I realized that too late. I didn’t have crushed tomatoes, so I used bone broth for some liquid instead. I think I used a little too much, but the flavor was still delicious and a huge hit with my family! I’ll be saving this recipe. Thank you! <3
Haha no worries. I am so glad it ended up working well! 🙂
Delicious, deglazed the IP with 1/2 white wine. Used whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed with the spoon. Served over Cali-rice.
Awesome!! Love the idea of adding white wine. So happy you liked the recipe! 🙂