Chicken Cacciatore and Sausage

Today we’re looking at Cacciatore. Chicken is good. Add sausage and the regular Chicken Cacciatore becomes even better. This recipe could not be more simple, but it is super satisfying. It can be done 2 ways: in a pan on the stove top or in the Crock Pot. I went for the Crock because I didn’t have the time to deal with it on the stove top today.
I added sausage to this instead of chicken thighs. Classic Cacciatore has chicken breasts and thighs, but I wanted to try something different, so I went with sausage instead. Here’s what you’ll need:


3-4 Chicken Breasts
6 small Sweet Italian Sausage
1 28 oz can diced tomato
1 28 oz can crushed tomato
1 large green bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
Pasta of your choice
Most Cacciatore recipes call for the chicken to be dredged in flour and then pan sauteed. I chose the “healthier” route and put them in as is, no dredging. Place the chicken breasts, sausage, the entire can of diced tomato and half of the can on crushed tomato, the entire bell pepper (rough chop), half of the onion (rough chop) and all of your spices into the Crock Pot. Place the cover on and heat on low for 5 hours. That’s it. It doesn’t get much easier than that. The pan method doesn’t take as long, but it obviously requires you to be in the kitchen and tending to the cooking process. This makes an equally delicious meal. Like I said, I didn’t have the time yesterday to crank out the other version, so I went with the Crock. Truth be told, I like this version better. The sausage and chicken become fork tender and they both absorb so much flavor from the sauce. Is Crock Pot cooking cheating? Some people may say Yes, I say No. Nothing dries out, everything gets a ton of flavor and you can get things done while still cooking a fantastic dinner. I’ve made this recipe both ways and I enjoy it the same. To jazz it up a little, feel free to throw some mushrooms, capers and white wine in. I’m the only one in my household who likes mushrooms and capers, so I left them out.