This Chicken Cacciatore recipe is my low carb twist on a very popular Italian-American dish, Chicken Cacciatori, which typically includes sausage and Marsala wine.
Chicken cacciatore is another great Italian-American recipe that can be made with poultry or pork, but Italian Sausage is more traditional. In this low carb version I used boneless chicken breasts. It is fantastic paired with buttered pasta or rice that has been spruced-up with lemon, parsley, and Parmesan cheese – for those who don’t watch their carbs, of course (ie. my kids).
My husband and I enjoyed our low carb chicken cacciatore with a side salad dressed in Crumbled Blue Cheese Vinaigrette, because I was too lazy to make another side just for us. Yeah, sometimes lazy wins out — and the fact that I don’t enjoy making sides. (shhhh. Don’t tell my mother!)
I first tested this dish using turkey tenders and dry Marsala wine. It was good, but not quite where I wanted it. After a few more trials, I decided that I liked the boneless chicken breasts and sherry combination best. It received two thumbs-up from the kiddos at table, and they each finished their mushrooms and peppers! Hooray!
This version of Italian Chicken Cacciatore is not terribly high in calories or fat. Adding a small side salad with an oil and vinegar dressing would help bump up your macros if you track that kind of thing.
The dish takes 30-40 minutes to make, including all of the prep, most of which takes place as the chicken or mushrooms cook. I guess one could cut down on cooking and prep time by cooking it all together at once, but neither the color nor depth of flavor would have time to develop. Sometimes the best flavor takes a little time.
This Low Carb Italian Chicken Cacciatore recipe is 6 net carbs per serving.
Low Carb Italian Chicken Cacciatore Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless-skinless chicken breasts
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 4 ounces green bell pepper about 1 med to large
- 4 ounces red bell pepper about 1 medium to large
- 4 ounces onion about 1/2 of a medium
- 2 cloves large garlic
- 1 tablespoon Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend
- 1/3 cup sherry
- 1 cup chicken broth or 1 cup water with bouillon
- 1/3 cup olive oil divided, or bacon grease
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Wash the peppers and place together with the onion and garlic. Put a large dinner plate near the stove for the chicken and mushrooms. Ready two cutting boards – one for the chicken and the other for the vegetables. Have the sherry and chicken broth ready.
- Dry the chicken breasts. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, then cut into strips on the bias. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil over the chicken strips and mix. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Garlic & Herb Seasoning Blend over the chicken and mix oil and seasoning into the chicken. ( I used my hands)
- Put a large saute pan over medium heat and let it get good and hot. Add 2 tablespoon of oil and roll it around the pan to coat. Add 1/2 – 1/3 of the chicken strips and brown in batches, cooking all the way through. Add oil to the pan before the next batch, if needed. Remove the browned chicken strips to a large dinner plate. Make sure to get them nice and brown – the bottom of the pan should have a nice golden brown color when finished.
- Next, add 1-2 more tablespoons of oil to the pan and begin browning 1/2 of the mushrooms. Brown both sides. Remove the mushrooms from the pan, adding them to the chicken. Add more oil and brown the remaining mushrooms. They don’t need babysitting, so this is the time to thinly slice the peppers, onions, and garlic, putting them together in a bowl, or on a plate, or just leaving them on the cutting board. Remove the last of the mushrooms to the plate and add the vegetables to the pan.
- Pile the vegetables over the parts of the pan with the most browned bits. They will steam a little as they cook and it will be easy to begin scraping-up all of that caramelized goodness. Move the vegetables around the pan and cook them half way through. The onions will begin to soften and the peppers should still be firm. Add the chicken broth, then the sherry, stirring the vegetables and scraping any remaining brown bits (fond) off of the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chicken and mushrooms back to the pan and cover loosely with a lid, a piece of foil, or a sheet pan, to bring the mixture up to a simmer. Mix two teaspoons of cornstarch (or arrowroot powder) with two teaspoons of water to make a slurry. Uncover the pan and add the slurry, stirring it in quickly. Add the salt and let the liquid simmer for a 1 minute to thicken.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve.
I’m not familiar with cooking with sherry. Can I use Chianti or is that too different?
Hi Amy. Sherry has deeper more alcoholic flavor than white wine that is both sweet and dry. It’s hard to explain but worth it to add to your cooking pantry when you get a chance. My bottle lasts a year. But since you don’t have it, use a dry white wine like chardonnay. If you have a Trader Joe’s near, I buy my “cooking wine” there – the “two-buck Chuck”, which may not be $2 anymore? It’s drinkable and such a good price that I don’t feel bad leaving it in the fridge for months at a time waiting to be used in a recipe. I hope this helps. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
Hello Kim,
This looks like a delicious recipe and I am looking forward to making it. But I was wondering if there is a substitute for sherry that I could use, since I do not have this current ingredient in my pantry. Maybe possibly red wine vinegar? Thank you for the guidance and great recipe!
Hi Paloma. While the sherry gives this dish an amazing flavor, you can use dry white wine or skip it all together. -Kim
Hi Kim, this looks amazing! My husband and I recently started keto, and I’ve been looking for great new recipes to try. This will definitely be one of them! I know it was mentioned that the arrowroot flour wouldn’t exactly be considered keto, but I was wondering if everything else would be (i.e. sherry), since we’re trying to stick pretty strictly to keto right now. Thanks!
Yes, Elizabeth, use dry sherry. And remember, keto is a metabolic state, not a particular food. This recipe fits keto macros as written. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
I made this for the family last week and they LOVED it! I’m making it again tonight!! YUMM!!
Corn starch on keto?
Yes, Nacny. You can also use arrowroot powder. It’s only .38 carbs per serving and it did make a difference in the sauce. I tested this recipe about 5 times all different ways and this was the best. I don’t add ingredients like starch without testing several times and making sure it really is worth the ingredient. My rule is no more than .5 grams per serving if I include it. Of course, you may omit the starch. The recipe is still delicious. -Kim
Making this for supper tonight wish me luck !!
Good luck, Judy! I use that herb seasoning blend on and in everything. It’s especially good in soups. Enjoy! -Kim
Hi, I cooked your recipe today but I substituted the cornstarch ( which is not Keto friendly) to 1 tsp if chia seed.
Sure, Carma. I understand that you don’t want to use cornstarch or arrowroot powder. That’s a personal call and I support you 100% for doing what is right for you. Thanks for sharing your trick of using chia seeds. I appreciate it.
For others who may be reading, there are 2 carbs in 1 tsp of corn starch or arrowroot powder. This recipe calls for 2 tsp, which is 4g carbs split among 6 servings or .667g carbs per servings. The 4 oz of onions have 12g carbs or 2g carbs per person and contribute many more carbs than the starch. For me, adding an extra 1/2-1g carb per serving with a higher carb ingredient that results in better palatability is a personal choice I will always make. Some people will call that “dirty keto”. Since this recipe features mostly wholesome fresh ingredients, I have a hard time calling it “dirty”. I just call it healthy and delicious. -Kim
Making mine with spicy Italian Chicken Sausage.!
It sounds WONDERFUL, Cynthia. -Kim
Thanks for posting your fabulous recipes! I’m on a low carb healthy diet and cannot wait to try your recipes! You have just made my day and night.
Cindy
Cindy, YOU have made MY night. Thanks so much for the kind words. Have a wonderful evening. -Kim
I thought I was the only person who hated making side dishes. I’m not kidding when I say that we never have actual sides with our meals. It’s usually just a quick salad or grilled zucchini if anything. Glad I’m not alone! I make chicken fajitas at least once a week and I think this will be just the way to change that up a bit. Delicious as always!
Hi Lauren, I am so glad I’m not the only one. I, too, would rather throw a salad together or quick veggies. Fajitas are great! I should definitely make them more often. I think I will this week! Thanks for the idea! -Kim
Hi Kim, I just wanted to say how surprised I was and how thrilled I am to be mentioned on your blog. Your recipes have helped me to reach the goal I needed to achieve in order to bring my blood sugar levels down again. My doctor told just this past Friday how proud she was of me for working so hard to get my levels down from 500 to today’s 111. I don’t know how you do it but you make food taste good again! I am so happy I found you! Thank you for making me feel so special, at a time when I too needed it most, but you deserve all the credit for bringing us all these wonderful and delicious recipes. Can’t wait to try this one! xo
Meg, you’re so sweet my dear. I’m thrilled at your good news, and blushing at your nice compliments. Isn’t it great that there are so many low carb sites and cook books available now? Yum! -Kim
Your Sherry Chicken Sauté with Mushrooms & Peppers Recipe looks great! I am always looking for healthy low carb recipes and can’t wait to try this one!
Thank you, Katie!