My Chicken Puttanesca recipe features tender chicken thighs braised in a delicious tomato sauce with briny olives and capers. It’s a wonderful combination of flavors that comes together beautifully.
This dish is perfect because it’s easy enough for me to make on a busy weeknight, yet impressive enough to serve when I have company over. The rich, savory sauce and juicy chicken make it a meal that everyone loves.
When chicken thighs simmer gently for some time, they undergo a wonderful transformation. It turns amazingly tender and juicy, soaking up the rich flavors of the ingredients it’s cooked with.
Today’s braised chicken dish brings on some big time Italian flavors. Like Chicken Cacciatore and Chicken Pizzaiola, my star protein cooks in a well seasoned tomato sauce. All I need is some pasta or crusty bread to serve it with, and I end up with a meal that’s sure to win over any crowd.
So What is Puttanesca?
Puttanesca is a classic Italian sauce that originated in Naples in the mid-20th century. The name “Puttanesca” refers to, um, ladies of the night. Not sure where that came from. 🤷♂️
The sauce is known for its bold, robust flavors and typically includes tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, anchovies, and chili flakes. These create a combination that’s savory, tangy, a little spicy, and full of umami.
It is typically served with pasta, most commonly spaghetti. A few months back I cooked my version of Pasta Puttanesca for you. Today’s recipe uses the same sauce, but this time as a braising sauce for chicken.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: I prefer bone-in, skin-on thighs. The same recipe can also be followed with boneless, skinless thighs, or chicken breast. I just need to adjust the cooking time as needed.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I use this for searing the chicken and adding extra flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic: Always a must for me.
- Crushed Red Pepper: For a touch of heat. Omit if you have a mild palate.
- Anchovies: They don’t make the sauce fishy, but add an umami richness to the sauce. However, if you are strongly opposed to using them, substitute the anchovies with more capers.
- San Marzano Tomatoes: I use these because they are the best. You can use other canned tomatoes. I crush them by hand in a large bowl before adding to the sauce.
- Tomato Paste: Deepens the tomato flavor and thickens the sauce.
- Olives: I like to use both kalamata and green. You can go with whatever you have on hand.
- Capers: They add a unique tart and salty touch to the dish.
Chicken Puttanesca Recipe
1. Sear the Chicken: First, I season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Then, I sear them on both sides in the olive oil. Once they are nicely browned, I remove them to a plate.
2. Build the Sauce: I add the garlic, crushed red pepper, and anchovies to the pan, sautéing for about 1 minute. Then, I add the tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, capers and parsley. I bring everything to a simmer.
3. Braise the Chicken: I return the chicken to the pan, spooning the sauce over the chicken. Then, I cover the pan and let it simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 185°F with an instant-read thermometer. While it cooks, check out my roundup of favorite Italian Recipes.
Serving Suggestions
I love this dish served over pasta, particularly long shapes like spaghetti or linguine.
Another great option is some nice crusty bread, like my easy No Knead Bread.
A nice salad also goes well on the side. Think Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad or Greek Salad.
If you’re watching carbs, you can easily enjoy chicken puttanesca all on it’s own.
Jason’s Tips
- Properly Season the Chicken: I make sure to season the chicken thighs with enough salt and pepper before searing. This initial seasoning is important for developing the base flavor of the dish.
- Sear the Chicken: I don’t rush the searing process. Getting a nice, golden-brown crust on the chicken not only adds a depth of flavor but also helps lock in the juices.
- Hand Crush the Tomatoes: I hand-crush the tomatoes to give the sauce a rustic texture and to control the chunkiness of the sauce.
- Balance the Flavors: If the sauce tastes too acidic from the tomatoes, I add a pinch of sugar to help balance it out. When I use San Marzano tomatoes (which I recommend), I usually don’t need any sugar.
- Let It Simmer Slowly: The key to a tender chicken in this dish is the slow simmer. This gentle cooking method allows my chicken to become tender and absorb all the wonderful flavors of the sauce.
Add some major flavor to your dinner table with my easy chicken puttanesca recipe. I think you’re going to love this dish just as much as we do.
Chicken Puttanesca, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
More great chicken recipes:
Chicken Vesuvio
Marry Me Chicken
Chicken Chasseur
Chicken Tagine
Chicken Provencal
Fricase de Pollo
Peruvian Chicken
Chicken Puttanesca
My Chicken Puttanesca recipe features tender chicken thighs braised in a flavorful tomato sauce with olives and capers. Easy and elegant, this dish is a crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper
- 3-4 anchovies, chopped
- 28oz canned whole tomatoes, hand crushed in a large bowl
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- ½ cup kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup green olives, halved
- 2 Tbsp capers
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped + more for garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat extra virgin olive oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet and sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown (about 6-7 minutes per side). Remove to a plate. If there is excess fat in the pan from the chicken, remove some from the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic, crushed red pepper and anchovies. Sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, olives, capers and parsley. Bring to a simmer.
- Add chicken into the pan, spooning the sauce over the chicken. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 185°F with an instant read thermometer.
- Remove from heat, garnish with additional chopped parsley. Serve with pasta or crusty bread.
Notes
- The same recipe can also be followed with boneless, skinless thighs, or chicken breast. Just note that the cooking time may need to be adjusted.
- We highly recommend using San Marzano tomatoes, as they provide superior flavor. They may cost a dollar or two more, but the difference is worth it.
- Technically chicken is done and safe to eat at 165°F. But for fall-off-the-bone tender thighs they should be cooked to 185°F. If you are substituting them with breasts, only cook to 165°F to avoid them drying out.
- The anchovies do not make your sauce fishy, but instead add umami notes to the sauce. However, if you are strongly opposed to using them, substitute with more capers.
- Leftovers: Chicken puttanesca is great as leftovers, when all of the flavors have time to mingle. Store it in an air tight container for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 411Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 22gCholesterol 169mgSodium 860mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 33g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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