Effortless Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore: A Quick & Flavorful Jar Sauce Recipe

Discover the ultimate weeknight hero: Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore made with convenient jar sauce. This incredibly easy recipe transforms simple ingredients into a moist, flavor-packed meal that’s perfect for busy evenings. In your pressure cooker, tender chicken simmers with bell peppers, onions, and a rich tomato sauce, creating a hearty and comforting dish in a fraction of the traditional time. Whether you’re looking for a delicious low-carb dinner idea or a classic meal to serve over rice, this recipe delivers maximum flavor with minimal effort.

Since its invention, the electric pressure cooker, like the Instant Pot, has revolutionized home cooking, making healthy and delicious meals accessible even on the busiest schedules. This chicken cacciatore recipe is a perfect example, delivering a full-flavored dinner that tastes like it simmered all day, but is ready in under 20 minutes of active time. It’s truly one of the best ways to enjoy classic comfort food without the wait.

Why Choose Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore? Speed, Flavor, and Simplicity

The Instant Pot, or any electric pressure cooker, is a game-changer for dishes like chicken cacciatore. What typically requires hours on the stovetop or in a slow cooker can be achieved in minutes, thanks to the magic of high-pressure cooking. The sealed environment not only cooks food faster but also locks in moisture and infuses every ingredient with incredible flavor. The result? Exceptionally tender chicken that practically falls apart, enveloped in a rich, aromatic sauce.

This recipe is designed for ultimate convenience, utilizing a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce to build a robust flavor base. This simple shortcut allows you to enjoy homemade taste without the lengthy prep, making it ideal for anyone seeking a quick, healthy, and budget-friendly dinner solution. Plus, it’s incredibly versatile – use chicken thighs or breasts, fresh or frozen, and customize the vegetables to your liking.

Versatility Across Pressure Cookers: Ninja Foodi and Crockpot Express

Don’t have an Instant Pot? No problem! This chicken cacciatore recipe is compatible with any electric pressure cooker that offers a high-pressure setting. Whether you own a Ninja Foodi, Crockpot Express, or another brand, you can achieve the same delicious, fall-apart tender results. The core cooking principle remains the same, ensuring that this wholesome and inexpensive meal—often costing less than $11 to feed a family of six—can be enjoyed by everyone.

Cooking Chicken Cacciatore with Frozen Chicken: A Time-Saving Trick

One of the Instant Pot’s most celebrated features is its ability to cook frozen meat efficiently, and this chicken cacciatore is no exception. If you’re starting with frozen chicken, you’ll simply need to adjust the cooking time slightly. For best results, ensure your frozen chicken pieces are separated and cut into smaller, manageable sizes. Increase the pressure cooking time to 12 minutes, followed by a 3-minute natural pressure release to maintain tenderness.

When cooking with frozen chicken, especially if it’s not pre-cut, consider slicing your bell peppers and onions a bit thicker. This helps them retain some texture rather than becoming overly soft during the extended cooking period. This adaptability makes the Instant Pot an invaluable tool for impromptu meals when fresh ingredients aren’t readily available.

The Convenience of Jarred Spaghetti Sauce

While making spaghetti sauce from scratch is certainly an option, the beauty of this Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore recipe lies in its simplicity. Using a high-quality jarred spaghetti sauce is a fantastic shortcut that doesn’t compromise on flavor. Whether it’s Ragu, your favorite store brand, or whatever’s on sale, a good jarred sauce provides a robust and consistent base for your cacciatore.

This approach is perfect for busy families rushing home, allowing for a healthy, home-cooked meal without the extensive prep. It’s the same principle that makes recipes like Instant Pot spaghetti so popular—effortless yet satisfying. The sauce, combined with fresh vegetables and tender chicken, creates a deeply satisfying dish that tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, even if you only spent minutes.

To further enhance speed and ease of eating, especially with children, we recommend dicing your chicken breasts or thighs into bite-sized pieces. This ensures even cooking in just 3-4 minutes under pressure and makes the dish easier to enjoy. While whole small breasts can also be used, they might require closer to 12 minutes of cook time. The choice is yours, depending on your preferred chicken size and texture.

The speed of Instant Pot chicken recipes is truly remarkable. For instance, a traditional Crockpot chicken cacciatore might take 5 hours to cook, whereas the Instant Pot version is ready in about 15 minutes total. Pressure cooker recipes are also renowned for packing in flavor, as the meat thoroughly soaks up the sauce during the cooking process.

Moreover, the Instant Pot allows you to cook vegetables, meat, and sauce all together in one pot, similar to our popular pressure cooker chicken and rice. Everything emerges perfectly tender and cooked simultaneously, freeing you up to focus on other tasks while dinner practically makes itself.

Essential Ingredients for Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore

This recipe shines with a few simple, wholesome ingredients:

• Chicken Breasts: Boneless, skinless, cut into bite-sized pieces for quick and even cooking. Chicken thighs are an excellent alternative if you prefer dark meat. While fresh chicken is recommended for the quickest cook time, small frozen chicken breasts can be used by increasing the pressure cook time to 12 minutes with a 3-minute natural release.
• Onion: Sliced thick to hold up well during pressure cooking and add a sweet, savory depth.
• Bell Peppers: Any color works beautifully. Slice them thickly for optimal texture.
• Chili Powder: Adds a hint of warmth and complexity. Adjust the amount to your taste.
• Garlic Salt: A fantastic all-in-one seasoning for a savory boost.
• Jar of Spaghetti Sauce: Your go-to 24 oz jar for ultimate convenience. Alternatively, you can combine tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and diced tomatoes to reach the same volume for a homemade touch.
• Water: Essential for creating enough liquid for the pressure cooker to come to pressure and to ensure a saucy consistency.

Optional Additions and Substitutions

Enhance your cacciatore with these optional ingredients for extra flavor and texture:

• Quartered mushrooms
• Red pepper flakes for a touch of heat
• Kalamata olives for a briny, Mediterranean twist

The rich flavor of this dish primarily comes from the sauce, seasonings, and fresh bell peppers. While you could start with homemade spaghetti sauce, the jarred version is all about making your life easier without sacrificing taste. Creating a meal that everyone loves, is simple to prepare, and takes under 30 minutes in the pressure cooker is always a huge win in our kitchen. This Instant Pot chicken cacciatore consistently earns a thumbs-up from the whole family!

For a detailed visual guide, you can always refer to video tutorials commonly available for Instant Pot recipes. Below, you’ll find a clear step-by-step guide to making this delightful chicken cacciatore.

How to Make Chicken Cacciatore in Your Pressure Cooker

Preparing this flavorful chicken cacciatore in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker is remarkably straightforward:

1. Layer the Sauce and Chicken: Begin by pouring half of your jarred spaghetti sauce into the bottom of the pressure cooker pot. Add your chicken, cut into small, bite-sized pieces, over the sauce.
2. Add Remaining Sauce & Liquid: Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce over the chicken. To ensure you get every last drop of flavor, add about 1/2 cup of water to the empty sauce jar, secure the lid, and shake it vigorously. Pour this flavorful liquid over the chicken and sauce in the pot.
3. Incorporate Vegetables: Cut your bell peppers and onion into strips. For firmer vegetables, slice them thicker; for softer vegetables, slice them thinner. Add these directly into the pressure cooker pot.
4. Season: Sprinkle chili powder, garlic salt, and any other desired seasonings evenly over the ingredients in the pot.
5. Pressure Cook: Secure the lid on your Instant Pot. Set it to Manual (or Pressure Cook) on high pressure for just 3 minutes.
6. Release Pressure and Serve: Once the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to naturally release for 2 minutes, then perform a quick release of any remaining pressure. Carefully lift the lid away from you to avoid steam. Always check the chicken to ensure it is thoroughly cooked through – 3 minutes is typically ample time for bite-sized pieces. Serve immediately, often over a bed of rice or noodles.

Allowing the pot to naturally release steam for a couple of minutes before a quick release helps to maintain the juiciness of the chicken. When serving, a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese over white or brown rice adds a wonderful finishing touch.

Remember to dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the pot for even cooking and tenderness. If you wish to season the chicken with additional herbs, black pepper, or salt before pressure cooking, feel free to do so. This recipe is a true “best recipe win” when it’s loved by everyone, easy to prepare, and costs under $20 to feed the whole family. Plus, it often yields enough for delicious leftovers the next day! You can slice your onions and bell peppers thinly if you prefer them very soft, or a bit thicker if you like them with more bite; either way, the dish is fantastic.

Explore More Easy Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

If you enjoyed the simplicity and flavor of this chicken cacciatore, you’ll love these other Instant Pot chicken dishes:

• Spicy Honey Instant Pot Chicken: Customize the heat level to your preference for a sweet and spicy meal.
• Hawaiian Instant Pot Shredded Chicken: Features diced pineapple for a delightful sweet and savory blend.
• The Best Instant Pot Sesame Chicken: Achieve Panda Express quality at a fraction of the cost, right in your own kitchen.

User Rating: 4.80 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore Recipe

By
Justine

This healthy Instant Pot chicken cacciatore recipe is so easy to make and just takes 3 minutes to cook in your pressure cooker. Moist and full of flavor, you just need 3 ingredients for this low-carb dinner idea! Serve it over rice and it’s one of my kids’ favorite meals. Cheap and healthy is a total score!

Prep:

10
mins

Cook:

3
mins

Total:

13
mins

Servings:
6

Equipment

• 1 pressure cooker

Ingredients

• 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 24 oz.
• 4 chicken breasts, boneless skinless, cut into bite-sized pcs.
• 1/2-1 onion, sliced
• 3 bell peppers, any variety, sliced
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c mushrooms, quartered, optional
• red pepper flakes, optional for heat

Instructions

1. Pour half jar of spaghetti sauce on bottom of pot. Cube chicken into small bite-sized pieces and add into your Instant Pot.
2. Pour rest of spaghetti sauce over that. Add 1/2 c. water into your spaghetti sauce jar, put on lid and shake to get remaining sauce out of jar. Pour this liquid on top of chicken.
3. Cut bell peppers and onion into strips (thicker if you want them firmer when done, thinner if you want them really soft). Add into your pressure cooker.
4. Sprinkle your chili powder, garlic salt, and any other seasonings you like over that.
5. Set your Instant Pot to Manual, pressure, high, for 3 minutes.
6. Allow to naturally release steam for 2 minutes, then quick release, lift lid carefully and serve over rice! (As always, check chicken when done to make sure it is thoroughly cooked through. 3 minutes is plenty of time if cut into bite-sized pieces initially.)

Nutrition

Serving: 8oz, Calories: 135kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 1075mg, Potassium: 792mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 2445IU, Vitamin C: 85.5mg, Calcium: 25mg, Iron: 1.7mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course:
Entree, Main Course

Cuisine:
American, Italian

For more culinary adventures, consider trying a paneer butter masala recipe. Incorporating new meals into your rotation is a great way to expand your family’s palate and discover new favorites.