Slow cooker chicken cacciatore is a recipe that is perfect all year round, it features clean & simple, delicious & bold flavours.
Hunters Chicken.
Chicken Cacciatore is a dish that means many things to many people. It has morphed greatly as it has spread across the globe.
Some of it for the good, some of it not so good.
My version is very much lighter than some, taking some hints from my rabbit cacciatore.
This like that recipe, this version uses white wine rather than the more often seen red wine.
Don’t worry though if you have a bottle of red wine you must check out my chicken legs in red wine.
My slow cooker chicken cacciatore recipe uses just the legs, this is primarily because they have more flavour.
But they also offer more flavour to the as the stew slowly cooks in the Crock Pot.
In addition, they also make the recipe easier to scale and help make it look the bees knees!
Presentation and Finishing the Recipe.
If you are new here, hello, if not then you know I have a thing for presentation.
It does not take long, but dinner always feels special when it looks purdy.
You can of course just pour this in a bowl and it will taste fantastic!
But if you want to separate out the legs then here is a video that can help with that. The section that you want starts at 27 seconds.
It adds no flavour to the dish, and it does not change the cooking time so feel free to skip this.
As for skin on or off, then it is up to you. There are many that are no keen on “soggy” skin, I was one of this people until fairly recently but I know leave the skin on.
I like the flavour it adds to the chicken cacciatore and I also have become fond of the texture it gets in the slow cooker.
When I serve this dish I separate out the chicken and vegetables taking care to discard the rosemary.
I then strain the sauce, then squeeze out the garlic into this and stir it through.
But all of this is the extra 1% and not critical.
Serving Suggestions.
As far as I am concerned this dish is best served with a cheesy polenta, I would use a nice nutty gruyere cheese.
But as with all dishes there are options, and this slow cooker chicken cacciatore is no different!
This is comfort food and it would work wonderfully with mash, mashed potato of course, although celeriac mash would be even better.
If you wanted to stick with the hearty theme but go a little lighter than a butter laden mash then these puy lentils with bacon would also work a treat!
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken Cacciatore or Hunters Chicken is a really simple tasty dish and this version cooked in the slow cooker as a wonderful simple autumn meal.
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Legs
- 1 Head Garlic
- 30 g (1 oz) Butter
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 50 g (1.75 oz)Carrot
- 35 g (1.2 oz)Celery
- 150 ml (5.1 fl oz) White Wine
- 250 ml (8.5 fl oz) Chicken Stock
- 150 g (5.3 oz) Tinned Tomatoes
- 2 Sprigs Rosemary
- 30 g (1 oz) Flour
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the celery and carrot into a rough 5mm dice.
- Cut the top of the head of garlic off keeping the root in place.
- Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat add the olive oil and butter.
- Dust the chicken legs in well-seasoned flour.
- Add the garlic cut side down to the pan.
- Fry the chicken on both sides until golden brown, this should take around 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Turn the heat up to high and add the diced carrot and celery.
- Fry for 5-6 minutes until the edges start to colour.
- Pour in the white wine and reduce by half.
- Transfer to a slow cooker and add the chicken tinned tomatoes, chicken stock and rosemary.
- Add a lid and cook on low for 4 hours.
- I like to separate the vegetables and serve the chicken on top with a drizzle of sauce.
- I also squeeze the garlic from the head of garlic and mix through the sauce.
- You can thicken the sauce with 1 tablespoon of cornflour slaked with water if you wish, I do not think that it is necessary.
Notes
You can double the amount of chicken in this recipe without increasing the liquids, although I would add more carrot and celery.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 856Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 364mgSodium: 946mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 69g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Anne
Tuesday 10th of December 2019
It was delicious! My husband loved it?
Brian Jones
Tuesday 10th of December 2019
Glad you liked you both liked it, this is one of the little hidden gems on my site that people do not stumble over as often but it is a personal favourite :)
Grahame Cox
Sunday 14th of July 2019
I don't understand:
8. "When boiling pour in the chicken stock and stir, keep stirring every few minutes for 45 minutes. I find wine and good music helps with this task."
Do you not mean:
8. "When boiling pour in the polenta and stir, keep stirring every few minutes for 45 minutes. I find wine and good music helps with this task."
Brian Jones
Monday 15th of July 2019
Well spotted that man... Thanks for the heads up, I have updated.
April
Thursday 12th of April 2018
I love your recipes! They're so simple but they look like you spent all day in the kitchen making them. I love chicken cacciatore but I haven't tried cooking it in a slow cooker. I'll have to try my recipe in the slow cooker next time. Thanks for the inspiration.
Brian Jones
Thursday 12th of April 2018
I don't often spend all day in the kitchen although love doing it when I get the chance. I have worked hard on my presentation though so it is lovely to hear that it is appreciated, this recipe used to look like I threw it at the plate from the other side of the room ;)
Jemma
Thursday 12th of April 2018
I've been using my slow cooker a lot recently and I think this needs to be my next dish.
Brian Jones
Thursday 12th of April 2018
Enjoy!
Veena Azmanov
Thursday 12th of April 2018
Oh, how I love your recipes! This Chicken Cacciatore looks very appetizing and delicious! This is a great idea for dinner, for me and my family! Very beautiful presentation! Thank you for sharing this great recipe. I want to try it immediately! YUM!
Brian Jones
Thursday 12th of April 2018
Thanks Veena, my recipes are definitely all a bit old school ;) So glad you liek them :)