Chicken Cacciatore recipe for two, your new easy skillet dinner for two. Chicken and peppers in a rich tomato and caper sauce, all made in one pan!
Why this Recipe Works
Any time protein is seared over high heat and finished in a warm oven with a sauce, good things happen. If that meat also happens to be on the bone and still have the skin attached--even better!
Let's talk about the basic premise of this Chicken Cacciatore Recipe. We're basically searing chicken to give it a golden-brown crust, and then nestling it back in the pan in a juicy sauce before sliding it into the oven.
You'll notice my tiny cast iron skillet (it measures slightly more than 9" across and is made by Staub), has 4 chicken thighs in it. I love bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs not only for their flavor but because they're usually sold 4 to a package--they're made for dinners for two!
Chicken Cacciatore Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thigh
- 1 cup of flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ of a yellow onion
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes in juices
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
How to Make Chicken Cacciatore
- Prep - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle each chicken thigh liberally with salt and pepper. Dredge each chicken thigh in a shallow dish of flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
- Cook - Sear the chicken over high heat; don't worry about cooking it through. Remove the chicken from the pan, and add everything else. All of it--tomatoes, wine, peppers, onion, garlic, and herbs.
- Bake - Nestle the chicken gently back into the pan. To keep the crust crisp, don't dunk it in the sauce. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Serve - Serve with the same wine you used in the sauce.
Tips
- You can absolutely serve this Italian chicken and peppers on its own. However, the first time we made it, we ate it plain, and then we decided it would be great with pasta.
- To thicken the sauce using the cornstarch method, just whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 1 tablespoon of cold water. Once the dish is done cooking, remove the chicken from the pan and whisk the cornstarch mixture in the skillet. The residual heat will thicken the sauce; if it doesn't (or if you've waited too long to do this), just place the skillet back on the stovetop to warm through. Once the mixture comes to a bubble, the cornstarch will start to thicken the sauce. Sound like a lot?-- serve it over mashed potatoes.
- Also, I want to mention that in one round of my recipe testing, I forgot to add the wine. It tasted great, so if you're out of wine or forget to add it, don't worry! It will still be amazing!
- One final thing--I don't put mushrooms in my chicken cacciatore recipe, but you can absolutely add half a box to this dish, and you will love it!
How to Store
- Room Temperature - Serve the chicken cacciatore warm or at room temperature.
- Refrigerate - In an air-tight container store any of the leftover chicken in the refrigerator.
- Freeze - Every time I buy meat, I pull out my Food Saver to vacuum seal and store the rest in the freezer, but not when I buy chicken thighs. I know you can get a better deal buying a giant package of 27 thighs so I like to cook them all before it gets freezer burned.
Want more? Receive the best ideas directly in your inbox and connect on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Chicken Cacciatore Recipe for Two
Easy chicken cacciatore recipe for two.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 cup of flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ of a yellow onion
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes in juices
- 2 tablespoons drained capers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- First, place the chicken pieces on a plate, and sprinkle both sides liberally with salt and pepper. Then, sprinkle the flour evenly over the chicken, turning it to coat it in the flour.
- Add the olive oil to a 9" oven-safe skillet, and place it over high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chicken, skin side down and let it sear for 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken when its golden brown on the first side, and sear it on the second side. Once both sides of the chicken are golden brown, remove the chicken from the pan and place on a plate. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point.
- While the chicken cooks, slice the onion into half-moon shapes, and seed and slice the pepper into strips. Peel and mince the garlic cloves.
- Drain off about half of the oil from the pan that you just seared the chicken in, and then add the onions and peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, just to soften, and then stir in the garlic, thyme, oregano, wine, tomatoes and capers.
- Nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin side up, and slide it into the oven for 25 minutes.
- Serve the chicken on its own, or with pasta, bread or mashed potatoes.
After 25 minutes, test the thickest part of the thigh with a meat thermometer. It should be 165°F.
Notes
If your skillet isn't oven-safe, you can wrap the handle in several layers of foil. Use an oven mit and remove carefully from the oven.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 666Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 623mgCarbohydrates: 80gFiber: 7gSugar: 24gProtein: 25g
Maryette says
Love this recipe, and I have the exact same pan from LeCruset it's perfect for "Dinner for Two". I wanted to give you a suggestion for a slight alteration of this recipe that you can use to make Spanish Chicken and Rice. Replace the capers with green olives sliced in half, add a little saffron or turmeric to the sauce and serve with yellow rice. Delish. Thanks again for all you do!
Christina Lane says
This sounds amazing, Maryette! Thanks for sharing <3
Rhonda says
Loved this recipe! Thank you.
Adrienne says
Can you recommend a favorite dry white wine of yours? I am a red drinker and always afraid when a recipe calls for white.
Christina Lane says
Sure, I love a Sauvignon Blanc from anywhere in Napa. Especially Honig.
Maria D Bishop says
I've made this twice now, the first time I made it with chicken thighs, as suggested. Last night I tried it with chicken breast instead. Due to the size, I only used two breasts, which I think equated to the same meat quantity as per the 4 thighs. By all means, only make this with thighs! The chicken breasts didn't have nearly the flavor as the thighs. I should have just trusted Christina. Great recipe, as always!
Christina Lane says
Awww, thanks so much, Maria! I'm glad you wrote me, because I have some chicken breasts in the freezer and I was thinking about trying this. Thanks for the heads up :)
Siobhan says
I made this last night and we had a great dinner! Do use chicken thighs, we have a similar recipe called "poulet basquaise" and I once used breasts and it turned out bland. Served this over polenta, great to soak up the sauce. So happy I came across your site Christina, your recipes for two and photos are an invitation to spend time in the kitchen, even after a long day of work!
Monica Gaines says
This recipe was amazing. I gave some of the chicken to my sister. I am single and often use a crockpot to cook small meals. The recipe was easy and flavorful. I forgot the onions and it was still delicious. I will make this twice a month during the winter and once a month during the summer. Delicious!!!!!!
Bruce Anderson says
This was DElicious! So simple to cook and assemble and perfect balance of tastes. Thank you!
Thelma Louise says
I’ve made this a number of times. It is wonderful; easy to prepare and full of flavor. It’s the perfect recipe for my husband and I. Over time I have tweaked the recipe just a little. I add a quarter teaspoon of freshly ground dried rosemary and five or six mushrooms, sliced. I usually serve it with a simple side salad and a big slice of crusty bread to soak up all that flavorful sauce.
Whatever white wine I’ve used in making this dish is what we continue with while eating it at the dinner table.
I also prepare this dish in my 10” Staub skillet. Staub is awesome and I love that skillet along with all the other pieces I have. It looks like you have it in the La Mer color which is an absolutely gorgeous blue-green!
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sandie says
This looks fantastic! I have a silly question. The link for the 9" pan takes me to Amazon (of course). Did you really pay $174.95 for your Staub pan?
Christina Lane says
It's not silly :) Staub is super pricy! I got this one on sale for $99 from Williams-Sonoma one day.
Nancy F. says
I want to make this tonight but I need to know if I have to use capers or if there's a substitute I can use instead.