This recipe quite honestly, was printed on the side of a can of Hunts Tomatoes back in the 1970’s. My mother has made this for years, later me taking the baton as well. It’s terrific! Tip: Be gentle with the cloves and thyme… a little goes a long way!
TRIVIA: Cacciatore means “hunter” in Italian. In cuisine, alla cacciatora refers to a meal prepared “hunter-style” with onions, herbs, usually tomatoes, often bell peppers, and sometimes wine.
Family Favorite Hunts Original Chicken Cacciatore
This recipe quite honestly, was printed on the side of a can of Hunts Tomatoes back in the 1970's. My mother has made this for years, later me taking the baton as well. It's terrific! Tip: Be gentle with the cloves and thyme... a little goes a long way!

Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Pieces or 1 Whole Chicken Cut Into Pieces
- 16oz. Spaghetti
- 1/4 Cup Oil / Halved
- 1/2 Onion
- 2 Stalks Celery
- 1/2 Large Green Pepper
- 4 Cloves Garlic / Minced
- 1 Large Can Tomatoes
- 1 8oz Can Tomato Sauce
- 2 TSP Salt
- 1/2 TSP Pepper
- 1/2 TSP Hot Pepper Flakes
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Pinch of Ground Cloves & Thyme
Directions
- Step 1 With a food processor, mince the onion, celery and green pepper together.
- Step 2 In large pan, brown the chicken pieces in half the oil. Remove and set aside.
- Step 3 Add other half of the oil and heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion/celery/pepper mixture. Saute until soft.
- Step 4 Add the remaining ingredients and stir in. Cover and simmer about 40-50 minutes. 35 minutes into cooking, prepare water for pasta.
- Step 5 In a pasta pot, bring water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook to desired consistency and drain.
- Step 6 Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. In 1/4 cup cold water, stir in 2 TSP of corn starch (often referred to as “slurry”) and add to mixture. Stir in until sauce thickens. It may be necessary to repeat for more desired thickness.
- Step 7 Serve chicken and sauce with spaghetti and enjoy. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan for more flavor.
I’ve been eating this dish for years and I can attest to how awesome it is. Getting hungry thinking about it right now…