Meow Recipes: Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe is sponsored by ALDI

Do you love easy recipes? I love easy recipes.

That’s why chicken cacciatore is here for you, and you, and you, AND YOU!

Chicken cacciatore is braised Italian chicken in saucy pasta-friendly form, and the best thing about it for me right now is that it is bright, acidic and punchy (major caper action). Hello, YES.

But it’s also rich and savory (thanks, mushrooms), luscious and silky (olive oil and butter combo at work), and all-around just really satisfying over a pile of silky lemon-buttered capellini noodles.

Many, most, almost all of our ingredients here are not only wholesome, but also organic (!!) and affordable (!!) because this nice little haul came straight from ALDI.

It’s also winter which means it’s very cold which means that grocery delivery is basically my BFFL. So if you want to join in and you’re a first-time ALDI Instacart shopper, you can get FREE delivery on your first three ALDI orders of $35 or more with the code ALDIPOY. Just enter the code at checkout!

Favorite ALDI finds for this recipe:

Simply Nature Organic Chicken Breasts (thighs are also good)
Simply Nature Organic Diced Tomatoes
Simply Nature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Simply Nature Organic Chicken Broth
And lots of produce like mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers

Guess how easy this recipe is?

You just put everything in the Instant Pot and let it go.

In the recipe, I’m also including what I call the “gourmet” version where you sauté the chicken and veggies first, and it is very delicious that way, but do you know what? It is optional. If it’s just been one of those days and you need to throw it all in and sit down for three seconds, this recipe is SO here for you.

Boil up some pasta and throw it all together. Voila! Chicken cacciatore is yours for the taking.

Easy, nutritious, colorful and comforting. Is there really anything better?

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

Author: Lindsay
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore:

2 tablespoons Simply Nature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 – 1.5 pounds Simply Nature Organic Chicken Breasts or chicken thighs
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine or Simply Nature Organic Chicken Broth
1 28 ounce can Simply Nature Organic Diced Tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt

Finish with:

4 ounces capers, rinsed and drained (okay I like capers a lot so sometimes I add two jars – whoops)
4 tablespoons butter
parsley, lemon and Parmesan for serving (optional)
capellini for serving

Instructions

Easy Instant Pot Method:

Add everything to the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Release the pressure.
Shred the chicken. Stir in the capers, butter, parsley and lemon.
Serve with angel hair pasta (for a little extra zazz, toss it with lemon juice and butter). Top the whole thing with more parsley and Parmesan. That’s it! Beautifully done!

Gourmet Instant Pot Method:

Dredge the chicken in flour and a pinch of salt. Turn on the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Add oil, and sauté the chicken for a few minutes on each side. Remove and set aside (it’s okay if they’re not cooked all the way).
Add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Sauté until softened. Add wine and let it sizzle out.
Add chicken and all other ingredients to Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Release the pressure.
Shred the chicken. Stir in the capers, butter, parsley and lemon.
Serve with angel hair pasta (for a little extra zazz, toss it with lemon juice and butter). Top the whole thing with more parsley and Parmesan. You did it!

Notes

Chicken: I prefer chicken thighs, but chicken breasts also work really well, especially in the gourmet version when they are sautéed first.

Freezing: You can freeze this before or after cooking. If cooking from frozen (raw), you’ll need to cook it for an additional 10-or-so minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

Sauce Thickness: Both sauces are good, but the gourmet method will give you a bit more thickness with your sauce because the chicken is dredged in flour first.

Capellini: If you are doing Sugar Free January and trying to avoid refined grains, you could serve this with whole wheat spaghetti or zucchini noodles instead.

Category: Dinner
Method: Instant Pot
Cuisine: Italian