Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

For this dish, you will need boneless, skinless chicken thighs, with Monkkonen explaining about why she chose this part of the poultry, "The fat from the chicken thighs adds a rich flavor to the overall dish." But she also notes, "You could also make this dish with chicken breasts." No matter what, she adds, "When making this dish in the Instant Pot, the one thing you want to avoid is cooking chicken with the skin on. In a pressure cooker, the skin turns rubbery and needs to be removed before serving."

In addition, buy or gather from your kitchen the following ingredients to make this Instant Pot chicken cacciatore: flour, salt and pepper, olive oil, red and green bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, yellow onion, dry white wine, garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, dried basil, a can of diced tomatoes, which you will drain the liquid out of, and finally, shredded mozzarella cheese. You can serve the dish over pasta, so pick some up if you'd like.

Now, set your Instant Pot to "sauté" at the "normal" heat level. Once the pot is warm, pour olive oil to coat the bottom. Then, Monkkonen instructs home cooks to carefully add the chicken thighs, being sure they are arranged in a single layer. You only need to cook the chicken for about a minute and a half on each side at this stage, with the goal of the outside of the chicken turning a lovely shade of golden brown. You will cook the chicken again, so it will not be fully cooked at this point.

Then, remove your chicken from the Instant Pot and set it aside while we turn our attention to cooking the other elements of this rich and satisfying shortcut dish. 

To make your chicken cacciatore sauce sing, first, add the dry white wine to the Instant Pot, allowing the alcohol to sizzle out. Monkkonen notes this process will take just a minute or two. But what if you are serving this dish to kiddos? "As long as you allow ample time for the alcohol to sizzle out, the final alcohol content should be near zero and is safe to serve to children," notes Monkkonen. "If you would like to omit the alcohol, save the equivalent amount of liquid when you drain the tomatoes and simply substitute it for the wine."

Next, add the minced garlic, tomato paste, your smoked paprika, dried basil, and the remaining salt and pepper. You will mix the sauce well and allow the elements to cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute or until the garlic is deliciously fragrant and your mouth is watering! 

The final step before you add your chicken back to the mix is to add the canned diced tomatoes — just be sure not to use the crushed version. And definitely drain out the liquid from the diced tomatoes first, with Monkkonen noting if you don't, this is another way you might accidentally mess up this simple meal. Finally, turn off the "sauté" function.

When the dish is finished cooking, go ahead and release the pressure of the Instant Pot. The final step before enjoying your hearty creation is to shred or break the chicken into bite-size pieces, with Monkkonen recommending using two forks. If you so desire, stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese just before serving the meal. Monkkonen likes to serve her chicken cacciatore nice and hot, over freshly-cooked pasta. 

Cutting carbs? The pasta is optional. As she told Mashed, "Because of its stew-like texture, this chicken cacciatore can absolutely be eaten without pasta. It's also fantastic served with potatoes or rice." No matter how you enjoy your meal, we're betting any leftovers that happen not to be eaten taste even more delicious and full of flavor!