Chicken Puttanesca
Chicken Puttanesca is a Southern Italian dish featuring chicken breasts in a classic rich tomato sauce known as Puttanesca. This spicy sauce is made from pureed tomatoes, briny olives, salty capers and anchovies, and red-pepper flakes. An easy and straightforward recipe for Chicken Puttanesca is prepared in a single skillet and in just 30 minutes.
What is Chicken Puttanesca?
- Puttanesca, (pronounced as “poo-ta-nes-ka”) is the name of the tomato sauce in this recipe, which originated from Naples, Italy. It is our mom’s recipe.
- Puttanesca was created using only local ingredients that were available in the region. Those ingredients were anchovies (small common saltwater fish), green and black olives, capers, garlic, red peppers, and San Marzano tomatoes or fresh ripe cherry tomatoes.
- It is a simple peasant dish that was created with the ingredients they had available, and it’s typically served with spaghetti.
As a family, our mom always made chicken with an Italian flare. Some of her chicken dishes happen to be the most popular, including her best chicken piccata recipe. It’s a classic dish where the chicken is smothered in a delicious lemon sauce. It’s amazing! For more Italian-style chicken recipes, be sure to try our Chicken Rollatini with Prosciutto & Cheese, and Chicken Cacciatore Recipe. And, don’t forget to try our easy chicken marsala recipe, Chicken Smothered with Marsala. So when I picked up a package of chicken breasts, I decided to make it with our mother’s recipe for classic Puttanesca sauce.
How To Make It
Chicken breasts are browned, then set aside while you assemble a simple, but spicy tomato sauce with a handful of ingredients. Serve the chicken with a side of orzo, rice or capellini pasta with some crusty bread to round out the meal.
When Buying Chicken Breasts…
When purchasing chicken breasts for this recipe, we recommend choosing organic and free-range options. Additionally, if you buy them from your local butcher, they can provide the chicken already sliced in halves, which will save you some prep time.
Taking chicken and cooking it into a Puttanesca-style recipe is very easy, especially on a stovetop. And, you will see why.
So let’s get started!
Directions to Make Chicken Puttanesca:
To make our Chicken Puttanesca, you will need one large skillet with a lid to make it on the stovetop, which is pretty darn easy, and it’s the Italian way!
1. First, Prep the Ingredients: grab a few bowls and start by gathering all the ingredients needed, such as extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, olives, capers, wine (or chicken broth), peeled or crushed tomatoes, red pepper, and some anchovies. Set them nearby, this will speed up the cooking process once you get started.
2. Prepare the Chicken Breasts: Rinse and drain each breast. Then grab a cutting board, take each chicken breast, and slice them in halves, giving you six pieces. Set them on a dish nearby.
3. Sauté in a Skillet: In a large 10-inch or 12-inch deep skillet, sauté the chicken in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, on moderate heat, until golden on both sides. Remove them and transfer them to a nearby plate.
4. Make the Puttanesca Sauce: Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then pour in additional EVOO into the skillet, (full amounts in recipe card below). Next, add the capers, olives, anchovies, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to infuse all the flavors, and use a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies as they melt. Add the wine and simmer for about 1 minute. Then pour in the pureed tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes on low heat.
5. Add Back the Sautéed Chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the puttanesca sauce. Scatter some freshly chopped parsley over the chicken. Turn the chicken to smother each piece into the sauce. Cover with a lid, and simmer for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your preference with salt, or additional crushed red pepper flakes for more heat.
6. To Serve: Use a large spoon to transfer the chicken to a serving platter, and spoon all the puttanesca sauce over the chicken and serve.
Cook’s Notes and Tips For Chicken Puttanesca:
- When serving, be sure to spoon every drop of that puttanesca sauce over the chicken, it is delicious!
- The anchovies will melt into the tomato sauce, and therefore, no one will notice them in this recipe.
- If the sauce gets too thick, add additional wine (or chicken broth or water).
- If you prefer, you can slice the olives, but it’s not necessary.
- OH, and don’t forget to serve it with some crusty Italian bread to dip or scoop up some of that puttanesca sauce. It’s so good!
- Also, if you plan to serve a “side” of spaghetti with this recipe? We recommend doubling the ingredients for the puttanesca sauce.
- This recipe is adaptable to thinly sliced steaks, and fish.
Give it a try … and ENJOY!
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love!
- Skillet Chicken & Mushroom Dinner
- Marry Me Chicken & Orzo (one-skillet)
- Chicken Rollatini with Pesto
- Easy Chicken Pizzaiolo
- Crispy Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Chicken with Dijon Wine Cream Sauce
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Chicken Puttanesca
Chicken Puttanesca is a Southern Italian dish made with chicken breasts smothered in a flavorful tomato sauce made with pureed tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, and anchovies. This is a very simple recipe for chicken puttanesca that's made in one skillet, and its ready in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 package ( 3 skinless, breasts) (16 ounces) organic chicken breasts - sliced in halves
- salt and black pepper to season the chicken
- 4 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil - divided
- 1/3 cup good quality white wine (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 2 cloves of garlic - sliced
- 3 Tbsp. of salty capers
- 1 Tbsp. (or 2 Tbsp.) anchovies
- 1/4 cup green olives
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cups of crushed or peeled tomatoes - pureed
- freshly chopped parsley, and extra to garnish
Instructions
1. First, Prep the Ingredients: grab a few bowls and start by gathering all the ingredients needed, such as extra virgin olive oil, garlic cloves, olives, capers, wine (or chicken broth), peeled or crushed tomatoes, red pepper, and some anchovies. Set them nearby, this will speed up the cooking process once you get started.
2. Prepare the Chicken Breasts: Rinse and drain each breast. Then grab a cutting board, take each chicken breast, and slice them in halves, giving you six pieces. Set them on a dish nearby.
3. Sauté in a Skillet: Lightly season the chicken with some salt and black pepper. In a large 10-inch or 12-inch deep skillet, sauté the chicken in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes per side, on moderate heat, until golden on both sides. Remove them and transfer them to a nearby plate.
4. Make the Puttanesca Sauce: Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then pour the remaining EVOO into the skillet, about 2 tablespoons. Next, add the capers, olives, anchovies, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to infuse all the flavors, and use a wooden spoon to break up the anchovies as they melt. Add the wine and simmer for about 1 minute. Then pour in the pureed tomatoes. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes on low heat.
5. Add Back the Sautéed Chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the puttanesca sauce. Scatter some freshly chopped parsley over the chicken. Turn the chicken to smother each piece into the sauce. Cover with a lid, and simmer for an additional 5 to 8 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings to your preference, with salt or additional crushed red pepper flakes for additional heat.
6. To Serve: Use a large spoon to transfer the chicken to a serving platter, and spoon all the puttanesca sauce over the chicken and serve.
Notes
Tips and Tricks...
1. Store any leftover chicken puttanesca in a sealed container and keep it chilled in your refrigerator. It will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
2. You can freeze this dish as well, and for up to 1 month.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 servings Serving Size: 1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 4.8gCholesterol: 56mgCarbohydrates: 3.7gFiber: 1.6gSugar: .5gProtein: 14.7g
Happy Cooking! 🙂
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