Name: Chicken Cacciatore for the Instant Pot
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 4 6 oz bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion (chopped); 3 stalks celery (chopped); 1 4 oz package sliced fresh mushrooms; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 14 oz can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence; 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth; 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional); 1 pinch ground black pepper (optional)

Nutrition Snapshot

Bone-in chicken thighs give each serving about 25 grams of protein, enough to build a satisfying dinner around.
Herbs, garlic, and no-salt-added tomatoes build the flavor, so this braise fits a heart-conscious eating pattern.
The skin and dark meat make this higher in saturated fat; take the skin off before serving to cut it.

A good chicken cacciatore usually simmers on the stove for the better part of an hour. In the Instant Pot, the browning and the braise happen in one pot, and dinner is ready in about 45 minutes. Pressure cooking shortens the long braise to a fraction of the time, and the chicken turns tender enough to fall from the bone.

Lower-Sodium Braising Starts With Herbs and Aromatics

Most of the salt in a classic braise comes from bouillon, canned broth, and salted tomatoes. This version builds flavor another way. Herbes de Provence, garlic, celery, and mushrooms give the sauce a savory depth. No-salt-added stewed tomatoes and low-sodium broth carry the body of the braise without the added sodium. The sauce reads as a full cacciatore, and the calculated sodium stays moderate for a dish this hearty.

Sodium matters here because eating less of it eases the pressure inside your blood vessels over time. Salting lightly at the end, after the sauce reduces, puts a small amount of salt on the surface where you taste it most. Leaving the skin on to brown and removing it before serving keeps the saturated fat down while you still get the flavor the skin adds during cooking.

What’s in a Serving

The calculated card shows what a cook wants to know before making this. Each serving lands at about 410 calories, with roughly 25 grams of protein and only about 7 grams of carbohydrate. That balance eats as a filling, lower-carbohydrate main.

Saturated fat comes in around 7 grams, most of it from the chicken skin, and the skin-off step is what brings that number down. Fiber is low at about 1 gram, so a vegetable side or a spoon of beans rounds out the plate.

Ingredient Spotlights

Bone-in, skin-on thighs are the right cut for pressure braising. Dark meat stays juicy under pressure where lean breast can dry out, and the bone adds body to the sauce. Brown the skin for flavor, then lift it off before serving so the saturated fat goes with it.

Mushrooms and celery build the savory base that lets the sauce taste full with less salt. A 4-ounce pack of mushrooms is light for four servings, so add a second pack if you want a deeper sauce. Olive oil is the cooking fat, and herbes de Provence with no-salt-added tomatoes carries the flavor of a long-simmered braise.

Who This Braise Fits, and When to Go Easy

This is a good dinner for anyone who wants a hearty, higher-protein plate with very little carbohydrate, and who is keeping an eye on sodium. The rebuilt sauce keeps sodium moderate, and the protein makes it filling without a large portion.

Go easy on the saturated fat by taking the chicken skin off before serving, which is where most of it sits. Because the fiber is low, serve the braise with a vegetable or a small portion of beans so the meal keeps you full until the next one.

How to Make It Your Own

A few easy swaps change the recipe to fit how you eat.

Use skinless thighs from the start for the lowest saturated fat.
Add a second pack of mushrooms, or a chopped bell pepper, for more vegetables and fiber.
Choose a certified gluten-free broth to keep the dish gluten-free.
Stir in a splash of red-wine vinegar at the end to brighten the sauce.
Serve it over sauteed vegetables or a small portion of white beans in place of pasta.

Make It Ahead and Store It

This braise tastes even better the next day, once the herbs and tomato have had time to settle into the sauce. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to four days, or freeze it for up to three months. Reheat it gently on the stove or in the microwave so the chicken stays tender.