This Paleo Chicken Cacciatore Recipe needs to be apart of your weekly dinner rotation! The sauce takes about 10 minutes to prepare, and requires only a few simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now. All together it's an incredibly flavorful dish that incorporates nutrient dense food that you'll feel good serving to your family. You can serve this dish with gluten-free pasta, on its own, or with vegetable noodles to keep it Whole30 and Paleo friendly!
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What I love about this recipe
I love how incredibly easy, healthy, and delicious this recipe is! The sauce is made with simple ingredients that don't take long to prepare - especially if you're using frozen sliced peppers! Once the chicken is breaded, just pop it in the oven while the sauce simmers. Once the sauce is ready, it gets poured over top of the chicken while it bakes until the chicken is juicy and tender. It's delicious on its own, but I love serving mine with gluten-free pasta and a side salad!
🍴 Ingredient Notes
Chicken Cutlets
- Chicken Breast - I usually use 2 large chicken breasts, but I cut them into smaller pieces.
- Eggs - The eggs help to bind the breading mixture together - you can not skip this ingredient!
- Cassava Flour - If you're not familiar with cassava flour, it's a great gluten-free flour alternative! It has a very light, powdery texture, and it’s made from Yuca. You can find it on amazon, or at most natural markets. (Whole Foods!)
- Coconut Flour - Coconut flour is one of my favorite grain free flours - especially for savory recipes! You really can't taste the coconut flavor. It works very well with cassava flour to make a nice breading consistency.
Sauce & Vegetables
- Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes - The fire roasted diced tomatoes add a nice flavor to this dish, and don't require any preparation!
- Sliced Sweet Peppers - I used a bag of pre-sliced frozen organic peppers, but fresh peppers will work too!
- Fresh Basil, Roughly Chopped - You can use fresh basil, or frozen basil! I like to store my fresh basil in the freezer so it lasts longer.
- Salt & Red Pepper Flakes - If you're not a big fan of spice you can use less than what I suggest! Or you can sub with a ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
🍴 Step by Step Instructions
Preparing the Sauce
- Start by preparing the sauce. Add sliced onions to a large sauté pan on medium/high heat with a little oil. (Olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil will work.) Stir continuously so they don't stick.
- After a couple of minutes, add in the chopped garlic. Stir for a few more minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Next, pour in the can of diced tomatoes, sliced peppers, basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir well, then turn the heat to medium/low and cover. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
Preparing the Chicken
- Start by whisking together the cassava flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs.
- Next, dip a piece of chicken into the egg wash, then into the flour mixture, back into the egg wash, and back into the flour mixture. Place the chicken into the casserole dish. (Repeat for each piece of chicken.)
Baking Chicken
- Once the chicken is prepared, bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes on each side. You can also broil on high for 2 minutes at the end for an extra crispy outer coating!
Putting it all together
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for another 10-15 minutes.
- When it's done, remove the casserole dish from the oven and serve hot!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe is made with all whole food ingredients, and does not contain any added sugar, grains, or dairy! The chicken is breaded with a combination of cassava flour, coconut flour, and spices.
Yes! If you don't want to use breaded chicken, you could pan fry the chicken by itself for a few minutes on each side before baking it with the sauce.
There are many variations of Chicken Cacciatore, but most traditional recipes contain red wine or vinegar in the sauce, olives, carrots, and sometimes mushrooms! I've also noticed that most recipes use chicken thighs, but I prefer chicken breast - which is what I use in my recipe! If you'd like to play around with different herbs, spices, vegetables etc. - feel free!
If you have a pre-made breadcrumb on hand, feel free to use them! I prefer making my own, but if you'd like to save time and use a store bought breadcrumb mixture, that will work too!
Healthy Side Dish Ideas
- Gluten-Free Pasta
- Zucchini Noodles - I make my own with the Inspiralizer, but you can purchase them in most grocery stores in the produce section.
- Spaghetti Squash - Never spaghetti squash? Check out my How to Cook Spaghetti Squash Post.
- Sweet Potato Noodles
- Gluten-Free Focaccia Bread
- Paleo Garlic Herb Bread, Toasted
- Extra Vegetables (Steamed or Sautéed.)
- Fresh Garden Salad
Gluten Free Pasta Suggestions
I personally love serving my Chicken Cacciatore over gluten-free pasta! The Whole Foods brand makes delicious chickpea pasta shells that are organic, and only have ONE ingredient – chickpeas. A lot of the gluten-free pasta products are filled with additives and “gums” that are unnecessary. Make sure to always check the ingredients! Don’t be tricked by fancy labels! If you’re not a Whole Food’s shopper, my other favorite brands are Tolerant and Jovial! For this recipe I used Jovial's Bow Ties! It would also be delicious served with spaghetti or fettuccine!
How to store leftovers
You can store leftovers in an air tight glass container for up to five days in the refrigerator. You can also place leftovers in the freezer for longer storage! (Perfect for a rainy day.) Make sure your container is freezer safe! To reheat, just add it to the stovetop in a pan on medium/low heat. Stir until it’s warm. You can also add it to your pasta of choice, and microwave it together! I would not recommend storing the gluten-free pasta with the sauce. (It tends to get soggy.)
More Italian style recipes!
- Healthy Balsamic Mushroom Sauce with Chicken
- Italian Vegetable Meatball Recipe
- Easy Balsamic Chicken Dinner with Green Beans
- Healthy Minestrone Soup Recipe
- The Best Paleo Meatballs
Recipe
Paleo Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Equipment
- Large Casserole Dish
- Large Saute Pan
Ingredients
Chicken Cutlets
- 1 Pound Chicken Breast I usually use 2 large chicken breasts, but I cut them into smaller pieces.
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ Cup Cassava Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
Sauce & Vegetables
- 2 Cups Sweet Onion, Sliced Thinly
- 3-4 Cloves of Garlic, Sliced Thinly
- 28 Ounces Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 4 Cups Sliced Sweet Peppers I used a bag of pre-sliced frozen peppers, but fresh peppers will work too!
- ½ Cup Fresh Basil, Roughly Chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes If you're not a big fan of spice you can use less! Or you can sub with a ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
Instructions
Preparing the Sauce
- Start by preparing the sauce. Add sliced onions to a large sauté pan on medium/high heat with a little oil. (Olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil will work.) Stir continuously so they don't stick.
- After a couple of minutes, add in the chopped garlic. Stir for a few more minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Next, pour in the can of diced tomatoes, sliced peppers, basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Stir well, then turn the heat to medium/low and cover. Let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.
Preparing the Chicken
- Start by whisking together the cassava flour, coconut flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs.
- Next, dip a piece of chicken into the egg wash, then into the flour mixture, back into the egg wash, and back into the flour mixture. Place the chicken into the casserole dish. (Repeat for each piece of chicken.)
Baking Chicken
- Once the chicken is prepared, bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes on each side. You can also broil on high for 2 minutes at the end for an extra crispy outer coating!
Putting it all together
- Pour the sauce over the chicken in the casserole dish and bake at 375 degrees for another 10-15 minutes.
- When it's done, remove the casserole dish from the oven and serve hot!
Nutrition
After you make this Paleo Chicken Cacciatore Recipe, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love it as much as I do! xo Mariah
Sam
This was so good!! Using frozen peppers was such a time saver. Thanks for sharing!