Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe is made with bone-in chicken thighs, lots of tomatoes, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Gluten-free.

Over at Create Kids Club, we are a little obsessed with the crockpot. Crockpot chicken thighs are used most often like in the most popular recipe on the blog Crockpot Chicken Thighs recipe, Coconut Chicken Thighs, and Baked Chicken Thighs.
Seeming that chicken thighs are very cost-effective and easy on the budget, and that they are uber kid-friendly, I make them a lot. That’s how this Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore recipe got developed. I needed a fresh recipe and a different flavor.
How To Make
- Combine diced tomatoes and tomato paste in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add sliced onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
- Place chicken thighs on top.
- Sprinkle with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 2-4 hours.
- Preheat Broiler.
- Remove chicken thighs, placing on a baking sheet. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until chicken skins start bubbling and browning.
- Whisk instant potato flakes into tomato and veggie mixture in the slow cooker, stir until thickened.
- Serve chicken thighs topped with tomato sauce.
To get started gather all the ingredients. Place the diced tomatoes and tomato paste into your crockpot. Add the onions, pepper, and mushrooms followed by the chicken thighs. Top with seasoning and cook.
Substitutions
- Swap bone-in chicken thighs for boneless chicken thighs
- Use chicken breasts or turkey
- You could saute the vegetables for a richer flavor prior to adding them to the crockpot

Once the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees you can preheat your broiler.
Kitchen Tip: Placing the crockpot chicken thighs under the broiler crisps the skin quickly.
If you are going to be removing the skin, you can skip this step.
Broiling chicken thighs after they have cooked in the crockpot all day, crisps the skin and makes it all the more delicious and more appetizing as well.
How To Thicken
A quick trick I love using to thicken sauces is to use dry potato flakes.
Potato flakes thicken sauces quickly without having to use a roux or flour.
What To Serve With
Delicious side dish ideas include Caramelized Butternut Squash, Zucchini Crisps, Cheesy Mashed Potato Bites, or a Brussels Sprout Salad.
More Chicken Recipes:
- Instant Pot Shredded Chicken Tacos
- Stovetop Seared Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Greek Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Ranch Chicken Thighs
- Southwest Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Quinoa Chicken Casserole
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore
Ingredients
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste ✅
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 cup diced peppers
- 6.5 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs ✅
- 1 tablespoon paprika ✅
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil ✅
- 1/2 cup instant potato flakes
Instructions
- Layer the ingredients in the crockpot. Add the diced tomatoes and tomato paste in the bottom of the slow cooker. Stir. Add the sliced onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Place the chicken thighs on top. Sprinkle with paprika, basil, salt, and pepper.28 ounces diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 medium onion, sliced, 1 cup diced peppers, 6.5 ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained, 8 bone-in chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Cook. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 2-4 hours.
- Preheat the broiler. Preheat the broiler. Remove chicken thighs from the crockpot, placing them on a baking sheet.
- ⭐️Broil. Broil for 2-3 minutes, or until chicken skins start bubbling and browning.
- Thicken the sauce. Whisk instant potato flakes into the tomato and veggie mixture in the crockpot, stir until thickened. Add more flakes if needed.1/2 cup instant potato flakes
- Serve. Serve chicken thighs topped with tomato sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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Jess says
We will be making this delicious recipe frequently! My whole family loved it!