This Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore is a comfort food classic. It’s loaded with chicken and vegetables in tomato sauce and served over pasta.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – substitute for any neutral cooking oil such as canola oil.
- Chicken cutlets – if you can’t find any cutlets, slice boneless skinless chicken breasts in half lengthwise.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also be good.
- Celery – if you don’t have any celery on hand, leave it out entirely.
- Mushrooms – use any variety of mushrooms of your choice like cremini or button mushrooms.
- Carrot – leave these out if you don’t have any on hand.
- Red pepper – swap out for any colour bell pepper of your choice.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic or even garlic powder will work in a pinch.
- Italian seasoning – use an equal mix of dried basil and oregano if you don’t have any Italian seasoning.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Red wine – dry white wine will also work or you can leave the wine out entirely.
- Jar pasta sauce – you can use crushed tomatoes in place of the pasta sauce, then add a pinch of brown sugar (you need this to cut the acidity, trust me!)
- Rotini pasta – substitute for another type of pasta or even egg noodles.
- Parsley – leave this off altogether if you don’t have any on hand.
How to make chicken cacciatore in the Instant Pot
- Add ingredients to the Instant Pot in order.
- Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Do a quick release of the pressure.
- Serve over rotini and dig in!
Why is it called chicken cacciatore?
Chicken cacciatore is Italian country fare. The word ‘cacciatore’ means hunter in English, and the dish was usually eaten by hunters or families who lived on farms. The version most of us are used to is made with chicken, but traditionally the dish was prepared with wild game that had been hunted, such as rabbit or pheasant. It usually brought in and braised in tomato sauce with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and a bit of wine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken cacciatore is a braised chicken dish made with a wine and tomato sauce, with an onion and garlic base.
Traditionally, chicken cacciatore was served with rustic bread or polenta, but today it’s served with pasta, egg noodles or rice. In my version, I’ve served it with pasta for a more filling and convenient option, since most people have pasta on hand in their pantry.
The chicken cacciatore sauce for this recipe is made with onion, garlic, celery, mushrooms, carrot, red pepper, Italian seasoning, red wine and a jar of pasta sauce.
Storing and reheating
You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, sprinkle some water over top of the dish and then reheat it in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway through. You can also reheat it in the oven, but it would take a lot of time, so I don’t recommend doing that.
Freezing this recipe
You can freeze the leftover chicken and rice together for up to 3 months. I like to freeze individual servings in glass bowls then reheat straight from frozen for 7 to 8 minutes in the microwave, stirring halfway through. That way, I have a quick and delicious meal in no time!
You can also freeze individual portions or the entire portion in foil containers. Then, you can reheat straight in the oven for about 40 to 45 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
More Instant Pot pasta recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken cutlets or 2 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced in half
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 (680mL) jar pasta sauce
- 1 lb rotini pasta
- Parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Add ingredients to Instant Pot in the order they are listed, except for pasta and parsley. Do not stir.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 8 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water on the stove and drain after about 8-10 minutes and pasta is al dente.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily.
- Serve chicken overtop of pasta in large bowls, garnishing with parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!
