Dinner in less than 30 minutes never tasted so good. This easy one pot chicken cacciatore tortellini pasta is saucy, packed with authentic Italian flavors and cleanup is a snap!
The chopped chicken, red peppers, capers, olives, tomato sauce and tortellini pasta are all cooked in one-pot on the stovetop for a speedy weeknight dinner. Just like our shrimp and sausage pasta, it’s hearty, rustic and leftovers taste even better the next day.
Jump to:
- Traditional Vs One Pot Wonder
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to make Stovetop Chicken Cacciatore Pasta
- Recipe Tips: One Pot Tortellini
- What to Serve with Chicken Cacciatore?
- Storage and Reheating
- Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
- More Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
- One Pot Chicken Cacciatore Tortellini Pasta
Traditional Vs One Pot Wonder
If you have ever made traditional bone in Chicken Cacciatore, there are a lot of steps. First, there is the messy procedure of dredging the chicken in flour and searing the chicken in batches. Then, you make the sauce and simmer it on the stovetop for upwards of 40 minutes. On top of that, you must dirty a second pot to make the pasta or rice on the side. Don’t get us wrong, we adored this when mom made it. However, due to the time restraints, it’s probably best for a laid-back weekend meal.
Instead, welcome the one pot wonder! With this quick and easy chicken cacciatore pasta, everything goes in one pot, even the tortellini. Its ready in half of the time. Every saucy bite of tender chicken with the pasta tastes just like traditional cacciatore but without all the fuss and mess. So let's get to it!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Main Ingredients
Chicken – boneless and skinless chicken breasts. You can also use chicken tenderloins or thighs without the bones or skin. If you need a vegetarian or vegan option, substitute the chicken with your favorite mushrooms or eggplant.
Tortellini are small squares of pasta that are stuffed and rolled into rings. Tortelloni are the same shape but just a bit larger in size. Their fun and unique shape is perfect for sausage tortellini soup and charucuterie skewers.
It makes them easy to eat and it also grabs on to that delicious briny tomato sauce. We used a dried shelf stable mushroom and cheese tortelloni – 8.8-ounce package that takes 8 minutes to cook.
Now this is where you can have a little fun and use the brand of tortellini that you like best. There are many gluten-free options on the market.
In addition, Manini’s makes a dairy free and gluten free tortelloni so everyone can enjoy this easy chicken cacciatore pasta recipe. The main difference is the time needed to cook and we will talk more about that down below.
Sauces and Aromatics
Chicken broth – for the pasta to cook in. We like to use homemade or low sodium chicken broth. Use gluten-free broth if required. If desired, you can substitute 1 cup of the chicken broth with a dry white or red wine to deglaze the pan. We used all chicken broth to keep the recipe simple.
Aromatics – garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, red chili flakes. If you do not have an Italian blend seasoning, try a little sprinkle of basil, oregano, or thyme. We are all about using the pantry staples to make do with what you have on hand.
Tomato Marinara Sauce – Use your favorite jarred or homemade spaghetti sauce. This is a time saver.
Red Bell Pepper – traditional ingredient in chicken cacciatore. Feel free to exchange with mini peppers or other colored bell peppers.
Capers and Kalamata Olives– adds a delicious briny flavor to the tortellini pasta recipe. If you do not have any or like the flavor, simply omit this ingredient.
Spinach – optional but trying to get some extra veggies into the family.
How to make Stovetop Chicken Cacciatore Pasta
- In a large pot, sauté onions in olive oil until lightly softened.
- Add in the chopped chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the chicken is almost cooked through.
- Next add chopped red bell peppers, tomato sauce puree, 2 cups chicken broth and cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
- Then add capers, kalamata olives and tortellini or tortelloni pasta and ½ cup extra chicken broth to the pot. Cover and cook according to the directions on your tortellini package – stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Remove the lid from the pot and turn off the burner on the stove, add in fresh spinach and stir.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese or enjoy plain.
Recipe Tips: One Pot Tortellini
- You need at least 5.5-quart (5.2 liter) large pot with lid to cook the pasta. We used a Dutch oven.
- Feel free to substitute 1 cup of the chicken broth with a dry white to deglaze the pan. A little wine for the chef and a little for the dish. We are all about that!
- If your tomato marinara sauce is sour, we like to add a teaspoon of sugar or sugar alternative to balance the flavors.
- Try adding a tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar when you add the tomatoes for a complex delicious flavor. Optional but delicious.
- If you choose to use tinned tomatoes vs jarred tomato sauce, it will need to cook down a few minutes longer to get rid of that tinny taste before adding the pasta.
- Don’t throw the box or bag your tortellini or tortelloni came in. After you add the pasta to the pot, you will follow the cook time on the package. Every pasta cook time is a little different. The time needed to cook our tortelloni was 8 minutes. However, small tortellini pasta will take much less time to cook. Don’t overcook the pasta!
- Prevent sticking by stirring the chicken cacciatore tortellini pasta occasionally.
What to Serve with Chicken Cacciatore?
Salads: One of our favorite sides with pasta is a light and refreshing garden tossed salad with our easy lemon balsamic vinaigrette. At the end of summer, we like a Mediterranean bean salad and in the fall a kale salad.
Veggies: In the spring we enjoy grilled asparagus, summer zucchini and squash but in the fall and winter nothing beats our roasted fennel and carrots.
Dessert: Don’t forget our easy make ahead eggless tiramisu.
Storage and Reheating
Our favorite part are the chicken cacciatore pasta leftovers! We hope you have some too as the flavors are even better the next day. You can keep leftovers in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, add the leftovers to a skillet with about a ¼ cup of chicken broth or water to get it moving in the pan. Gently heat and stir over medium heat until warm and toasty all the way through.
Alternatively, you can place the amount needed in a microwave safe bowl, along with a few drops of water and place a paper towel or cover on top to prevent splattering. Heat in the microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Stir midway to make sure it is heated all the way through.
Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
The ratio for liquid to pasta depends on 3 factors: type of pasta, pot size and amount of other ingredients and liquid additions. For example, to cook 8.5 ounces of tortellini pasta, 1.5 pounds of chicken and 1.5 cups of veggies and aromatics, we used 2.5 cups of chicken broth plus 14 ounces of tomato sauce for a total of 4.25 cups liquid ingredients.
You can make your own with a mixture of dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary. For this one pot chicken cacciatore tortellini pasta, Italian seasoning is not a requirement. However, a little sprinkle of either basil or oregano would bring all the flavors together.
Chicken cacciatore is a rustic Italian recipe. The word "Cacciatore" means hunter in Italian. This dish was traditionally made with chicken braised with wine and a few herbs by the hunters in the forest. Tomatoes were not used back then. As you could imagine, that would have been a tad bit messy to haul around in your rucksack in the middle of the hunting season.
More Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
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One Pot Chicken Cacciatore Tortellini Pasta
Equipment
- large pot with lid 5.5 quart (5.2 liters) - we used a Dutch oven pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion
peeled and chopped - 1.5 pounds chicken breast (24 ounces) boneless, skinless chopped into 1 inch cubes. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins or thighs.
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning dried
- 3 cloves garlic
peeled and chopped or sliced thinly - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes dried, crushed (optional or to taste)
- salt and pepper
to taste - 1 medium red bell pepper
fresh, seeds removed and chopped - 1 and ¾ cups tomato marinara sauce (14 ounces) jarred (use your favorite spaghetti sauce)
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
reduced sodium and gluten-free if needed - 3 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup kalamata olives pitted
- 8 to 9 ounces tortellini or tortelloni (use your favorite type - ours was mushroom) Can also use gluten-free tortellini.
- 2 cups spinach fresh (optional)
- Parmesan cheese optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot (at least 5.5 quarts), add olive oil and chopped onion. Sauté over medium heat until slightly softened and aromatic.
- Next, add the chopped chicken, Italian seasoning, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to the pot with the onions. Sauté and stir until the chicken is almost cooked through –approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add chopped red bell peppers, jarred tomato marinara sauce, "2 cups" chicken broth (reserve ½ cup for later) and cook over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes until bubbly. Cover and stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Then add capers, kalamata olives and tortellini or tortelloni pasta and ½ cup extra chicken broth to the pot. Cover and cook according to the directions on your tortellini package. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Our pasta was cooked in 8 minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. If your marinara sauce is too tart, add 1 teaspoon of sugar to balance the flavors.
- Remove the lid from the pot and turn off the burner on the stove, add in fresh spinach and stir. Sauce will thicken upon sitting.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese or enjoy plain with a drizzle of extra virgin (EVOO).
Video
Notes
- You need at least 5.5-quart (5.2 liter) large pot with lid to cook the pasta. We used a Dutch oven.
- Feel free to substitute 1 cup of the chicken broth with a dry white to deglaze the pan.
- If your tomato marinara sauce is sour, we like to add a teaspoon of sugar or sugar alternative to balance the flavors.
- Try adding a tablespoon of aged balsamic vinegar when you add the tomatoes for a complex delicious flavor. Optional but delicious.
- If you choose to use tinned tomatoes vs jarred tomato sauce, it will need to cook down a few minutes longer (10-15 minutes) to get rid of that tinny taste BEFORE adding the pasta.
- Don’t throw the box or bag your tortellini or tortelloni came in. After you add the pasta to the pot, you will follow the cook time on the package. Every pasta cook time is a little different. The time need to cook our tortelloni was 8 minutes. However, small tortellini pasta will take much less time to cook. Don’t overcook the pasta!
- Prevent sticking by stirring the chicken cacciatore tortellini pasta occasionally.
- Sauce will thicken upon sitting.
Culinary Flavors says
This chicken looks absolutely irresistible! I would devour it in moments and scoop the sauce with a slice of bread! Pinned!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine says
Looks delicious 🙂 And I hear you on not being able to stomach the live poultry! My grocery store just started carrying a new brand of organic chickens, so I bought one whole, and then freaked out when I opened it up and they had left the chicken feet in tact. I had to have my husband cut them off before I would season it!
Sharing this beautiful creation 🙂
gourmetgetaway says
Rustic and classic, indeed but healthy and tasty for sure. Love it, Bam!!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Julie and Alesah! Sometimes you just need some comfort food and this checks all the boxes.
whatjessicabakednext says
Love chicken cacciatore - definitely one of my favourite Italian dishes! This looks divine, great for a one-pot dinner!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
Your cacciatore looks really delicious! The photo with the sauce on the bread makes me want to eat this right now for breakfast. I make one a lot when we would have a lot of peppers and tomatoes from the garden and it's always a hit.
Mary Frances says
That sauce looks absolutely delicious! Looking at your photos, I can almost taste it!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Mary you are so sweet. Thanks for you kind comment.
David Crichton says
We have some strange ESP going on here. I made the exact same thing the other day. I've only eaten it once before, and to finish the sauce off a big of dollop of mascarpone was added. I found it just made it a little more unctuous.
It's such a brilliant recipe though.
Healthy World Cuisine says
You know what they say, great minds think alike but I will for sure have to try a dollop of mascarpone for my boys next time I make this dish. I hope you are doing well, safe travels to you!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
When I saw that dish I wanted to stick a piece of bread in that sauce. I didn't grow up with this dish but my best friend did. I tried to wrangle an invitation to dinner every time her mother cooked it. It never looked this good!
I couldn't bear the wet market. I'm happy to be labeled a wimp.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you dearest Maureen! My boys bless their hearts were dunking bread in the sauce while it was cooking. I was just glad there was enough sauce to get a few photos. If I could somehow send a big plate of it over to you in Australia still hot I would. You take good care of yourself dear and hoping that you recover soon!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook says
My mother used to make chicken cacciatore all the time. This looks fabulous and I'm with you about not going to the wet market! Ouch!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I do go to the wet market for fresh veggies, fruits and seafood but when it comes to the hanging meat and still walking and clucking chickens I get a little weak in the knees. Thank goodness in Aberdeen market that is up one floor from the fruits and veggies so I can avoid it all together for the moment at least.
hotlyspiced says
Wonderful flavours here and a really good meal that can also be frozen so is handy. I love how this is rustic! I do find rustic dishes very comforting xx
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Charlie, this meal freezes great. Thanks for the reminder as I should add that on to my recipe! I hope that you are enjoying your trip. Take care
mjskit says
I know I've eaten this dish but have never made it. What a great way to enjoy chicken and tomatoes. I'd love to make this with some fresh tomatoes from the garden. Soon...very soon. 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello MJ. Rustic chicken cacciatore would be stunning with fresh tomatoes from the garden. If you are looking for a quick and easy dish this one is sure to please.
dianeskitchentable says
This brings back fond memories. My mother used to make this a lot but I haven't thought of it in years. My mother also grew up on a farm so I saw plenty of chickens snagged for the table at my grandparents' farm. Yikes! It really isn't something that I want to think about either. Saran wrapped chicken is fine by me.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hi there Diane! Rustic chicken cacciatore is certainly a retro dish. I think we all remember this one growing up as a child. I don't know why it went out of style as it really is a great one-pot 30 minute easy dish. Yep, saran wrapped poultry with an USDA stamp of approval is all good with me.
Daisy@Nevertoosweet says
It's nearly midnight over here and you're making me so so hungry!!! Looks awesome x
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thank you Daisy! Wishing you well and good luck with your new position! 🙂
dedy oktavianus pardede says
Damn delicious!!!
i almost licking my monitor screen while scrolling down your chicken cacciatore photographs Bam.
Healthy World Cuisine says
Dedy, I feel the same way when I am reading your recipes. Happy Studying Dedy!
nancyc says
This sounds so good–and I can use my fresh basil that I'm growing now! 🙂
Healthy World Cuisine says
Thanks Nancy. Don't you just love growing your own fresh herbs. It makes so easy to add them in your recipes whenever you want to.