There are thousands of recipes for Chicken Cacciatore or Hunter’s Chicken. Most versions consist of tender chicken cooked in an Italian red sauce; most also call for peppers, onions, and sometimes mushrooms. The finished dish is served over pasta, polenta, or gnocchi. It is very popular, and is found on most Italian restaurant menus. It’s fairly easy to make, and my version of Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore is quicker than simmering for hours or all-day cooking in a slow cooker.

The sauce takes 10 minutes in the Instant Pot and includes hot Italian sausage which gives bottled spaghetti sauce a a shot of extra flavor. When boneless, skinless chicken breasts as well as peppers and onions are added it gets another 5 minutes cook time. Preparing this dish with two Instant Pot cycles insures that the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken stays moist.

8 Servings

1 pound hot Italian Sausage

1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of any fat, veins, etc., and cut into 8 serving size pieces

2 24 oz. jars spaghetti sauce
2 cups chicken broth

1 large onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
1 large green bell pepper, cored, quartered, and sliced
1 large red bell pepper, cored, quartered, and sliced

spaghetti, gnocchi, or polenta
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Brown the sausage on the sauté setting until cooked through. Drain well and set aside.
2. Spray the Instant Pot with non-stick spray. Mix the flour, salt, and pepper; dredge the chicken pieces in the mixture and place in the Instant Pot to quickly brown. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.
3. Pour the spaghetti sauce and chicken broth into the Instant pot and add the drained sausage. Stir, cover the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set on manual for 10 minutes. When the cycle has finished, release the pressure.
4. Add the chicken, onion, and green and red peppers. Cover the pot, set the valve to sealing, and set on manual for 5 minutes. When the cycle has finished, let sit 10 minutes, then release the pressure.
5. Stir and serve over pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 511 Calories from Fat 218
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 43% Protein 32% Carb. 26%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 24 g
Saturated Fat 7 g
Cholesterol 107 mg
Sodium 2492 mg
Total Carbohydrate 33 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 0 g
Protein 40 g

Vitamin A 79% Vitamin C 154% Calcium 0% Iron 20%