Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore is super simple to make - only 10 minutes of prep for a delicious and nutritious family meal! This recipe is chock full of vegetables, but you won't have to lift a finger to chop any of them!
The key to this meal is to take advantage of some of the frozen vegetable blends out there. For this kind of dish, frozen is just as good as fresh, and not only does it eliminate the chopping chore, but it also makes it easy to keep the veggies on hand to use whenever.
That second part is important for me, because I find that I sometimes need to shift my meal plan around as the week progresses, and with frozen veggies I don't have to worry that rescheduling this meal for a couple of days later will result in wilted or spoiled produce.
(Note that I also freeze my chicken, and then just thaw it in the fridge the night before making this.)
It is a little tough to find frozen mushrooms, but I don't mind buying those fresh. I confess that I do buy them pre-sliced, though! I need to use shortcuts wherever I can!
If you like to make chicken in the crock pot, you won't want to miss this Crock Pot Guinness Chicken Stew recipe. It's super easy and delicious, and a great alternative to the traditional Irish beef stew!
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I will be honest, my slow cooker is my favorite appliance. I can let the crock pot do the heavy lifting, so all I have to do is throw a few ingredients together in the morning, then look forward to a tasty, filling meal to cap off my busy day.
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Serve over pasta or rice along with a side salad for a healthy, hearty supper.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! Enjoy!
📋 Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 48 ounces marinara sauce (2 jars)
- 14 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion strips (1 package)
- 16 ounces yellow and green sliced squash (1 package)
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms (fresh)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes (use more if you like spicy food)
- 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts, if you prefer)
Instructions
- Lightly spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the marinara, frozen peppers and onions, frozen squash, mushrooms, garlic, and red pepper flakes.48 ounces marinara sauce, 14 ounces frozen bell pepper and onion strips, 16 ounces yellow and green sliced squash, 8 ounces sliced mushrooms, 2 tablespoons minced garlic, ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
- Place the chicken in the crock pot.2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- Pour the marinara mixture over the chicken.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Serve over pasta or rice.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Natalie
This is a family favorite! Easy and yummy. The family doesn’t even realize they are eating squash!
Kristin
That has been my experience as well! So glad to hear that you guys like it, Natalie. Thank you for coming by to let me know! 🙂
Trish Gregory
I am wondering if the vegetables should be put in the sauce while frozen?? That's what the recipe instructions say, but the author says she defrosts the chicken and frozen vegetables overnight. Which is correct? Thanks.
Kristin King
I keep the vegetables frozen, but thaw the chicken overnight (which is what I meant to indicate in the text of the post, sorry if that wasn't clear!) Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Ashley
This looks amazing. I love easy prep crock pot meals! Keep 'em coming 🙂
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
This looks amazing!!! I love my slow cooker - Thanks for sharing on the What's for Dinner link up - Would love it if you would comment there! And don't forget to visit a few other bloggers while you're there!
BRYAN Tribble
Time is not my problem, being half way retired, only 40 hours a week now, HA. I want to cut the time in half will it work on High?
Kristin King
Hi Bryan, thanks for stopping by! I know we worked this out via email, but just for posterity I will also say it here. I haven't tried it with the crock pot set to high, but I would say give it a shot, just make sure to keep a close eye on it so it doesn't turn into complete mush. Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! 🙂
AJ
Any thoughts on cutting this in half? How long should it cook in the crock pot and what size crock pot? It is just me and my daughter.
Kristin King
Definitely you can cut this in half and make it. Or you can make the whole recipe and freeze half for another time. I have a 5 or 6 qt crockpot (it is not listed on the crockpot and I can't remember, sorry!). If you make only a half recipe, you would still cook on low, and it would still take about 6 hours, but you could definitely use a smaller crockpot if that is what you have. I hope you and your daughter enjoy it! This is one of our favorites.
Theresa @DearCreatives
Yum, one of my favorite dishes & now in the slow cooker. Bonus!
Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & shared. Hope to see you again soon.
Heather @MySweetMission.net
Thank you Kristin for linking up this delicious Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore at the Creative Muster Party and hope you'll stop by Tuesday night at 6 pm EST to party with us again! Shared on Facebook with my followers. 🙂
Heather
MySweetMission.net
Frugal Hausfrau
One of my fave meals, but now that I think about it I haven't had it in ages! Great use of frozen veggies! Thanks much for bringing this by Throwback Thursday this week and hope to see you next Thursday. I'll be pinning it to our TBT board!
Mollie
Helen Fern
oh my this looks wonderful! Would love to have you share on the "What's for Dinner" link party -
http://www.lazygastronome.com/1622-2/