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Tomato & olive chicken cacciatore: cooking walkthrough

Boneless chicken thighs simmer in a tomato, pepper and mushroom sauce with black olives and oregano.

THE COMPLETE FREE RECIPE

Tomato & olive chicken cacciatore

Boneless chicken thighs simmer in a tomato, pepper and mushroom sauce with black olives and oregano.

1 hr 15 minEstimated total time4 servingsYield
Boneless chicken thighs simmer in a tomato, pepper and mushroom sauce with black olives and oregano.
Read the walkthrough

Ingredients

Volumes are approximate. For baking, use a scale; Metric keeps the specified gram weights.

Instructions

  1. Pat chicken dry without rinsing. Heat oil in a wide heavy lidded pan. Season chicken with half the salt and brown in two batches for 3 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. It is not yet cooked through. Keep raw chicken tools separate.
  2. Cook onion, pepper and mushrooms in the same pan for 8-10 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and oregano for 30 seconds. Retain all oil and browned bits.
  3. Add crushed tomatoes, water, remaining salt and pepper. Scrape the base and return chicken with every collected juice. Cover and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, turning chicken once.
  4. Uncover, add olives and simmer another 5-10 minutes to thicken. Check the thickest part of every chicken portion reaches 165°F / 74°C; cook longer if needed. If sauce is already thick, replace the lid while chicken finishes.
  5. Rest off heat 5 minutes. Divide all chicken, vegetables, olives and sauce equally among four portions. Refrigerate within 2 hours, use within 3-4 days and reheat to 165°F / 74°C. Bread, rice or pasta are separate serving suggestions.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving · 1 of 4
Calories
343 kcal
Protein
37.8 g
Total carbohydrate
17.4 g
Total fat
14.3 g
Total sugars
9.1 g

Calculated from the listed ingredients and yield. Brands, draining, cooking and portioning can change the result. Not a laboratory analysis.

Calculation notes & sources

ESTIMATED per serving. Brand, crop, preparation, draining, pan residue and substitutions change actual nutrition. Not laboratory analysis. Each ingredient retains its primary food description and state. All listed ingredient masses are counted; cooking moisture changes do not change the stated portion count. No generic nutrient-retention factor is invented. Calories are kcal; protein, total carbohydrate, fat and total sugar are grams. Total carbohydrate includes fiber and is not net carbohydrate. Fiber and sodium are not displayed. Equal portions or explicitly counted items define the stated recipe yield. US/Metric display changes do not change these canonical inputs. Primary-source supplements are retained per ingredient where USDA lacks a field; missing values are never silently changed to zero. One quarter of the entire pan, including sauce and all measured oil; discarding sauce changes actual intake. Check canned tomatoes, olives and spice labels for gluten or milk additives. No authenticity or allergen-safety claim.

View the ingredient calculations · Source 1

Times and nutrition are estimates. Check product labels, quantities and safe cooking. US measures are approximate; exact Metric amounts remain available.

By Recipe Pinboard · October 23, 2026 · 3 min read

This cacciatore-style pan uses boneless skinless thighs, mushrooms, red pepper and black olives in a tomato sauce. It is an original practical version rather than a claim that every regional hunter's chicken follows one formula. Browning builds flavor first; gentle covered simmering finishes the meat, and a short uncovered stage adjusts the sauce. Four portions include every vegetable, olive and spoonful of cooking liquid.

The recipe at a glance

Tomato & olive chicken cacciatore makes 4 servings, with 1 hr 15 min estimated total time. View the standalone recipe page.

Match the chicken weight to the recipe

Weigh raw boneless skinless thigh meat, with no bones or skin included in the six-hundred-and-eighty-gram quantity. Similar-sized pieces cook more predictably than a mixture of tiny scraps and large folded thighs. Pat the meat dry without rinsing it, and keep its tools separate from ready-to-eat food. Divide the seasoning as directed. The first browning stage is not a safety endpoint: chicken that looks golden outside can still be raw in its thickest part. Its plate and collected juices must return to the cooking pan.

Brown in batches without draining flavor

Heat the measured oil in a wide heavy pan and leave enough room around the chicken for moisture to escape. Crowding all the meat together encourages steaming before the surfaces color. Brown the two batches briefly, then transfer them while the vegetables cook. Keep the oil and browned bits in the pan; they belong to the sauce and are included in the estimate. If a patch becomes black rather than brown, lower the heat. A thick tomato sauce will not hide the bitterness of a badly scorched base.

Soften vegetables before adding tomatoes

Cook onion, pepper and mushrooms until they have softened and the mushrooms release some moisture. Stir across the base to loosen browned particles as that liquid appears. Add garlic and dried oregano for the short aromatic stage, then introduce the measured tomatoes and water. Acidic tomato liquid is part of the braise rather than a shortcut for softening raw vegetables instantly. Scrape the base thoroughly so nothing remains stuck underneath the chicken when it returns. No wine, stock cube or extra oil is needed in this measured version.

Separate chicken doneness from sauce thickness

Cover for the main simmer and keep the bubbling gentle. Turn the chicken once so its surfaces spend time in the sauce. Add drained halved olives during the uncovered finishing stage, then check the thickest part of every chicken portion with a clean thermometer. Each must reach 165°F / 74°C. If the sauce is already thick but the meat needs longer, replace the lid rather than reducing it into a dry paste. If the meat is safely cooked and sauce is thin, continue a short gentle uncovered simmer while watching closely.

Share the whole pan and cool leftovers

Let the finished pan rest for five minutes off the heat, then divide both chicken and sauce among four servings. Give each portion a comparable share of olives and vegetables rather than allocating only the meat evenly. The nutrition estimate includes all the sauce, including the oil and chicken juices; discarding it changes actual intake. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours in shallow containers, use within three to four days and reheat to 165°F / 74°C. Rice, bread or pasta can accompany the dish but are not included in its recipe card.

Common questions

Can I substitute bone-in thighs by weight?

Not directly: bones and skin change the edible amount and cooking time. This formula uses raw boneless skinless thigh meat. A bone-in version needs an adjusted quantity and a longer, separately checked cooking schedule.

Why is my tomato sauce watery?

Mushrooms, peppers and chicken all release liquid, and canned tomatoes vary. Use the uncovered finishing stage to evaporate some moisture. Stir and watch the bottom; do not increase the heat sharply and scorch the sauce while trying to reduce it faster.

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