Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers and Mushrooms
Boneless chicken thighs simmered in a rich tomato sauce with sweet red peppers, mushrooms, black olives and oregano. A rustic stovetop dinner with four generous portions.
A wide pan, browned chicken and a tomato sauce full of vegetables make this a welcoming dinner to bring to the table. Sweet red pepper strips soften alongside sliced mushrooms, while oregano and black olives give the sauce a savory finish.
This version uses boneless, skinless chicken thighs and prepared vegetable broth. There is no wine, cream or flour in the formula. Brown the chicken first, build the sauce in the same pan, then simmer gently until a thermometer confirms the chicken is cooked through. This original recipe has not been kitchen-tested.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Browning the chicken in two uncrowded batches leaves flavorful fond in the pan. Giving mushrooms time to release their moisture prevents a watery vegetable base. Tomato paste adds depth before the canned tomatoes loosen the fond. A gentle simmer cooks the thighs without a hard boil, and olives added near the end keep their shape.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, separate produce and raw-poultry boards, knife, paper towels, 30 cm deep heavy sauté pan with lid (at least 4 litres), tongs, wooden spoon, clean serving plate and instant-read food thermometer.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 dinner portions. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
What to serve with the tomato sauce
For a bread-and-sauce dinner, tear pieces of olive oil focaccia with sea salt alongside the pan. If you prefer a potato side, lemon-oregano potato bake adds soft centers and golden edges. Choose the portion that suits your meal; these are separate recipes and their ingredients are not included in the chicken nutrition.
A fresh salad beside a warm braise
A crisp lemon kale and apple salad with pumpkin seeds provides a cool contrast to the tomato sauce. For a richer side, try roasted beet, goat cheese and walnut salad. The beet salad contains milk and walnuts, while both salads have their own dressings; none is stirred into this chicken dish.
A starter for a relaxed dinner
Set out lemon tahini hummus as a small sharing starter, or serve a modest bowl of lemon red lentil soup with carrots before the main. Keep starter portions small enough to leave room for the chicken. Hummus adds sesame to the wider menu, outside this recipe.
Plan another comforting main
For a different braised dinner later in the week, save thyme-braised beef with carrots and potatoes. On a day when you have time to assemble a baked dish, beef lasagna with spinach and ricotta is another option. Their cooking times and ingredients belong to those recipes; this shorter boneless-chicken braise follows its own thermometer check.
More tomato-rich dinner ideas
If you enjoy a tomato-based meal, roasted eggplant Parmesan with basil offers a vegetable-centered change of pace. tomato, white bean and spinach orzo is another separate dinner built around a different starch and protein. These links are menu ideas, not suggested additions to the cacciatore pan.
Give browning enough room
Brown four thigh fillets at a time rather than filling the pan with all eight. A brief rest on a holding plate lets you cook the vegetables in the same pan. This chicken is only partially cooked at that stage, so bring it directly back into the sauce and complete the braise before serving.
Let the mushrooms lose their moisture
Mushrooms release liquid as they cook. Let most of it evaporate before adding the peppers and tomato ingredients. This builds a sauce that coats the chicken instead of one that tastes diluted. If the sauce tightens too much while braising, use a splash of water and keep the heat gentle.
Use temperature, then finish the sauce
Check the thickest part of the chicken with a clean thermometer and cook to at least 74°C/165°F. Time and color alone do not establish doneness. Add olives late and parsley after the heat is off. The written nutrition section below links to the official USDA source used for the ingredient estimate; bread, starters and side dishes are excluded.
About the ingredients
- Eight small boneless thigh fillets
Use 800 g raw boneless, skinless meat, ideally eight pieces of about 100 g. Larger thighs change portion count and timing; divide the cooked meat into four equal shares. Bone-in thighs or drumsticks need a different cooking plan.
- Peppers and mushrooms
Weigh red pepper after discarding stems and seeds, and mushrooms after trimming. Thin pepper strips and 5 mm mushroom slices soften readily. Mushrooms go in before peppers so their released moisture can cook away.
- Tomatoes in two forms
Use 25 g no-added-salt paste for concentrated flavor and a full 400 g can of no-added-salt diced tomatoes with juice for the sauce. Tomato brand and water content affect thickness; do not drain the can.
- All the measured olive oil
The entire 30 g is used for browning, split equally between two batches, and stays in the pan. No finishing drizzle or discarded frying oil is assumed in the nutrition estimate.
- Drained black olives
Use 60 g pitted, unstuffed canned black olives by drained weight, then halve them. Add near the end. Brine and olive brands vary in salt; avoid assuming the dish is low in sodium.
- Broth, oregano and parsley
Use 200 g prepared vegetable broth, 2 g dried oregano and 10 g chopped parsley. Check broth labels for celery, wheat, soy or other allergens. Oregano cooks in the sauce; parsley finishes the cooked dish. No rosemary sprigs, basil leaves or lemon wedges are extra decorations.
How to make Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers and Mushrooms
Prepare vegetables before handling raw chicken. Season eight boneless thighs and brown in two batches. Soften onion, cook mushrooms, then add peppers and garlic. Cook tomato paste and oregano briefly, add tomatoes and broth, and scrape the pan. Return chicken and its juices to the sauce and simmer to at least 74°C/165°F throughout. Add olives near the end and finish with parsley.
1. Prepare the vegetables and season the chicken
2. Brown the chicken in two batches
3. Soften onion, mushrooms and pepper
4. Build the tomato and oregano sauce
5. Braise gently and check the chicken temperature
6. Finish with parsley and portion the full sauceWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers and Mushrooms
Boneless chicken thighs simmered in a rich tomato sauce with sweet red peppers, mushrooms, black olives and oregano. A rustic stovetop dinner with four generous portions.
Ingredients
0 / 14 readyIngredient amounts for 4 dinner portions
Chicken and vegetables
Tomato sauce and finish
Let’s make it.
- Prepare and brown
Prepare the vegetables and season the chicken
Wash hands and clean the produce under running water. Prepare all vegetables first: slice 150 g peeled onion, slice 250 g cleaned mushrooms about 5 mm thick, cut 250 g trimmed red pepper into 1 cm strips, and mince 12 g garlic. Drain, halve and weigh 60 g pitted black olives. Chop 10 g washed and dried parsley. On a separate raw-poultry board, pat eight boneless, skinless thigh fillets totaling 800 g dry with paper towels; do not wash raw chicken. Season both sides with 2 g salt and 0.5 g pepper. Wash hands, sanitize the poultry board and keep raw utensils separate from clean serving tools.
- Prepare and brown
Brown the chicken in two batches
Heat a 30 cm deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add 15 g olive oil and four seasoned thigh fillets in one layer. Brown for about 4 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second; the chicken is not cooked through yet. Transfer to a holding plate. Repeat with the other 15 g oil and remaining four fillets. Keep all eight pieces and their juices for the braise, and do not serve the partially cooked chicken. Retain the oil and browned fond in the pan. Lower the heat if the fond becomes very dark; it should be brown, not black.
- Prepare and brown
Soften onion, mushrooms and pepper
Reduce heat to medium. Add all the sliced onion to the same pan and stir for about 4 minutes. Add all the mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes, stirring, until they release their moisture and most of it evaporates. Add the red pepper strips and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Keep the chicken on its holding plate during this stage. No extra oil, butter, celery, carrot or bacon is added.
- Build the sauce and braise
Build the tomato and oregano sauce
Stir all 25 g tomato paste into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Add 2 g dried oregano and stir for 20 seconds. Add all 400 g canned diced tomatoes with their juice, followed by 200 g prepared vegetable broth. Scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the brown fond. Stir in the remaining 2 g salt and 0.5 g pepper, then bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Use ready-to-use broth rather than concentrate; there is no wine, flour, sugar or dairy in this sauce.
- Build the sauce and braise
Braise gently and check the chicken temperature
Nestle all eight browned thigh fillets and their collected juices into the sauce. Cover and simmer gently over low to medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, then uncover, turn the pieces and simmer for a further 5–10 minutes. The thickest part of each thigh must reach at least 74°C/165°F on a clean instant-read thermometer; check several pieces and continue cooking if any is below that temperature. The sauce should bubble gently, not boil hard. If it becomes too thick before the chicken is safe, add a small splash of plain water. Stir in all 60 g halved olives for the final 3 minutes. Wash the holding plate and raw-chicken utensils before reuse.
- Build the sauce and braise
Finish with parsley and portion the full sauce
Once all chicken pieces are safely cooked, turn off the heat and scatter all 10 g chopped parsley over the pan. Serve two small thigh fillets per person, dividing the full vegetable sauce and olives evenly between four portions. No extra oil, cheese, bread or food garnish is included. For leftovers, divide chicken and sauce into small shallow containers promptly. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, at 4°C/40°F or below. Use within 3–4 days, or freeze for up to 2–3 months for quality. Thaw in the refrigerator; reheat while stirring and turning the chicken until every part reaches at least 74°C/165°F.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 dinner portions, including all vegetable sauce, olives and cooking oil; sides excluded. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 405 kcal
- Protein
- 43.9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 17 g
- Fat
- 18.2 g
- Saturated fat
- 3.6 g
- Fiber
- 5.6 g
- Sugar
- 9.1 g
- Sodium
- 859 mg
Checked 10/30/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Four dinner portions, ideally two small boneless thigh fillets each. Plan 20 minutes preparation and about 55 minutes stovetop cooking. Brown in two batches, cook vegetables, then gently braise about 20–25 minutes. Confirm every piece reaches at least 74°C/165°F; continue if necessary. A splash of plain water can loosen an over-thick sauce.
Make it your own
Use boneless skinless chicken thighs, not bone-in pieces or breast as an unchanged timing swap. No wine, flour, dairy, bacon or extra garnish is in this formula. Check prepared broth, tomato paste and olives for ingredient and allergen warnings, especially celery, wheat or soy. No allergen-free, gluten-free certification or low-sodium claim is made.
Storage & freezing
Do not wash raw poultry. Keep raw tools and the partially cooked holding plate separate from cooked food; wash and sanitize after use. Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, at 4°C/40°F or below. Use within 3–4 days or freeze 2–3 months for quality. Thaw in the fridge and reheat every part to at least 74°C/165°F.
At the table
Nutrition is one quarter of all raw boneless skinless chicken, retained cooking oil, vegetables, tomatoes and juices, prepared broth, olives, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley. Generic USDA meat-only raw thigh and canned ripe black olive composition are used; actual chicken trimming and broth/olive brands vary. Cooking loss, pan residue and finished portion weight are unmeasured. Linked menu ideas and sides are excluded.
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