Instant Pot

Melissa Hartwig's Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore With Zucchini Noodles

by:
March  9, 2019
4
10 Ratings
Photo by Ghazalle Badiozamani
  • Prep time 25 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian and refers to a dish cooked with onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, herbs, and sometimes wine. This Whole30 version doesn’t contain any wine and subs zucchini noodles for the standard wheat pasta or rice that is usually served with the chicken, but it still has amazingly rich flavor.

Excerpted from The Whole30 Slow Cooker © 2018 by Melissa Hartwig. Photography © 2018 by Ghazalle Badiozamani. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: 10 Instant Pot Chicken Recipes for Comforting Dinners All Week Long. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2¼ pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
  • 1 (14.5–ounce) can Whole30-compliant diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1/2 cup Whole30-compliant chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons Whole30-compliant tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (10.7-ounce) package zucchini noodles or 2 small zucchini, spiralized
  • Fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Directions
  1. SEASON the chicken with the oregano, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Add the coconut oil to a 6-quart Instant Pot. Select Sauté and adjust to Normal/Medium. When the oil is hot, add half of the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, 4 to 8 minutes. Repeat with theremaining chicken. Select Cancel. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
  2. ADD the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, garlic, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt to the pot. Add the chicken. Lock the lid in place.
  3. SELECT Manual and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes. Use quick release.
  4. TRANSFER the chicken to a plate; cover to keep warm. Select Sauté and adjust to Normal/Medium. When the sauce is simmering, add the zucchini noodles. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened and the zucchini is crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Select Cancel. Serve, topped with parsley if desired.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

6 Reviews

delanee January 23, 2024
Omg, it was so amazing.
NXL December 8, 2020
This is a very good recipe. Love that it's quick and packed with vegetables. The flavors are good, although I added one Calabrian chili for the heat that we enjoy. I do not have a spiralizer, so I just chopped the zucchini and cooked it a minute or two longer in the sauce. Because my husband needs more weight to his meals, I also added put a small amount of cooked pasta in his bowl and put the sauce / veggies on top. That is also a good addition.
Mickey0627 March 19, 2019
VERY GOOD! I'll definitely be making this again.
Joanne S. March 18, 2019
Sorry but not good. More like soup than what it should be.
AntoniaJames January 10, 2023
I agree. We found this so disappointing, for the same reason - plus, the flavor was not great. I did not use bell peppers, so maybe that would help for those who like them. On reheating, I added a lot of thyme, some chopped parsley, and the juice of a lemon, along with a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste. That helped, but not enough for me to want to make the dish again. ;o)
delanee January 23, 2024
no you just suck at cooking