Chicken Cacciatore with Olives. Bone-in chicken thighs simmered in a tomato, bell-pepper and olive sauce until the chicken reaches a measured safe temperature. The formula and timing below are working estimates for a future kitchen trial, not a claim that a batch has been made.
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A tomato-and-olive chicken supper
Bone-in thighs simmer gently with onion, red pepper, crushed tomatoes and Kalamata olives. Browning first gives the chicken color before the covered sauce cook.
The working four portions assume eight small thighs; chicken weight and pan size require a kitchen test.
Brown, then build the sauce
Pat thighs dry and brown in batches rather than crowding a skillet. They are not ready to eat after this step.
Soften onion and pepper in the same pan, add garlic briefly, then crushed tomatoes, broth and oregano. The sauce picks up browned bits without a wine deglaze.
Ingredients for 4 main portions
| Ingredient | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs | 8 small thighs | About 3 pounds total; verify size. |
| Olive oil | 1 tablespoon | Searing. |
| Fine salt | 1 teaspoon | Season chicken and sauce. |
| Freshly ground black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon | Season. |
| Yellow onion, sliced | 1 medium | Sauce. |
| Red bell pepper, sliced | 1 pepper | Sauce. |
| Garlic cloves, minced | 3 cloves | Sauce. |
| Crushed tomatoes | 1 28-ounce can | Sauce. |
| Low-sodium chicken broth | 1/2 cup | Sauce. |
| Pitted Kalamata olives, halved | 1/2 cup | Add near end. |
| Dried oregano | 1 teaspoon | Sauce. |
| Fresh parsley, chopped | 2 tablespoons | Finish. |
Step-by-step method
- Pat eight small bone-in chicken thighs dry and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep skillet; brown thighs in two batches about six to eight minutes per batch, turning, then transfer to a plate. Browning is not full cooking.
- In the same skillet soften one sliced onion and one sliced red bell pepper roughly eight to ten minutes; add three minced garlic cloves for the final minute. Stir in a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup broth and 1 tsp oregano, scraping browned bits.
- Return chicken and accumulated juices to the sauce. Cover and simmer gently about 25–30 minutes, checking the thickest part of each thigh away from bone; poultry must reach at least 165°F on a food thermometer. The time may vary with thigh size.
- Stir in 1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives near the end, warm them through and top with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Divide into four provisional portions of two small thighs with sauce. Measure actual cooked yield and sauce reduction in a kitchen trial.
Simmer to a measured endpoint
Return chicken and juices to the skillet. Cover for a gentle simmer and check the thickest part away from bone with a food thermometer.
FDA guidance gives 165°F for poultry. The estimated thirty-minute covered simmer is not a substitute for checking every piece; larger thighs can take longer.
Olives at the finish
Stir halved pitted Kalamata olives in near the end so they warm without disappearing into the sauce. Taste the finished sauce before adding more salt because olives and broth vary.
RecipeTin Eats offers a cacciatore reference, not a kitchen test for this batch's sauce reduction or four-portion yield.
What to serve with it
Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve with separate bread or polenta if desired. Neither is included in the recipe card or food photograph.
No exact make-ahead timing or leftover reheating texture has been validated. Review Chefly's existing chicken-and-tomato pages before committing a new URL.
Cacciatore questions
Are the thighs boneless?
No. The working recipe uses small bone-in skin-on thighs.
When do olives go in?
Near the end of simmering, after most of the chicken cook.
How do I check doneness?
Use a food thermometer away from bone and reach at least 165°F for each thigh.
Further reading and related Chefly recipes: RecipeTin Eats chicken cacciatore; FDA safe food handling. These are relevant references and other dishes, not evidence that this proposed formula was tested.
Recipe-card handoff — preview, not a native plugin card
Chicken Cacciatore with Olives. Category: Main Dishes. 4 main portions. Prep approximately 20 minutes; cooking approximately 55 minutes; additional cooling/chilling approximately 0 minutes; total approximately 75 minutes excluding preheat. Not kitchen-tested; nutrition not calculated.
Ingredients: 8 small thighs Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs; 1 tablespoon Olive oil; 1 teaspoon Fine salt; 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper; 1 medium Yellow onion, sliced; 1 pepper Red bell pepper, sliced; 3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced; 1 28-ounce can Crushed tomatoes; 1/2 cup Low-sodium chicken broth; 1/2 cup Pitted Kalamata olives, halved; 1 teaspoon Dried oregano; 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped.
Instructions: Pat eight small bone-in chicken thighs dry and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep skillet; brown thighs in two batches about six to eight minutes per batch, turning, then transfer to a plate. Browning is not full cooking. In the same skillet soften one sliced onion and one sliced red bell pepper roughly eight to ten minutes; add three minced garlic cloves for the final minute. Stir in a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup broth and 1 tsp oregano, scraping browned bits. Return chicken and accumulated juices to the sauce. Cover and simmer gently about 25–30 minutes, checking the thickest part of each thigh away from bone; poultry must reach at least 165°F on a food thermometer. The time may vary with thigh size. Stir in 1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives near the end, warm them through and top with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Divide into four provisional portions of two small thighs with sauce. Measure actual cooked yield and sauce reduction in a kitchen trial.
Allergens: Check broth, tomatoes and olives for allergens and cross-contact. Review packaged ingredients and cross-contact before serving.
Print
Chicken Cacciatore with Olives
- Total Time: 75 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Four portions of bone-in chicken thighs in tomato-olive-pepper sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 small thighs Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium Yellow onion, sliced
- 1 pepper Red bell pepper, sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 28-ounce can Crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup Pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pat eight small bone-in chicken thighs dry and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep skillet; brown thighs in two batches about six to eight minutes per batch, turning, then transfer to a plate. Browning is not full cooking.
- In the same skillet soften one sliced onion and one sliced red bell pepper roughly eight to ten minutes; add three minced garlic cloves for the final minute. Stir in a 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup broth and 1 tsp oregano, scraping browned bits.
- Return chicken and accumulated juices to the sauce. Cover and simmer gently about 25–30 minutes, checking the thickest part of each thigh away from bone; poultry must reach at least 165°F on a food thermometer. The time may vary with thigh size.
- Stir in 1/2 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives near the end, warm them through and top with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Divide into four provisional portions of two small thighs with sauce. Measure actual cooked yield and sauce reduction in a kitchen trial.
Notes
Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.
Untested estimate: sear in batches for roughly 15 minutes, vegetables 10 minutes and covered simmer around 30 minutes; chicken temperature governs endpoint.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Dishes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Two small chicken thighs plus sauce, pending size