Chicken Puttanesca with Crispy Skinned Chicken
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One taste of this chicken puttanesca and you will fall in love with it. Crispy chicken thighs simmer slowly in the savory tomato, olive, and anchovy sauce, making them utterly tender and irresistible. Made with just a few basic pantry staples, the puttanesca sauce forms the perfect richly-flavored base for the chicken.
When it comes to weeknight dinners, we all seem to have a list of recipes we return to again and again. Friends, this chicken puttanesca is going to be at the top of that list from now on! It’s so easy to prepare, and (besides the chicken and basil) is made entirely from pantry staples.
I love the fact that it only takes about 15 minutes of actual prep work to get it into the oven. That means while the chicken gently simmers in the tomato, anchovy, olive, and caper sauce, you can fold laundry or play with the cat.
While puttanesca sauce is typically served with pasta, I think this version, featuring tender bone-in chicken thighs, will become a new classic. The key to this recipe is browning the chicken and then cooking it in the sauce with the skin exposed, which yields crispy-skinned chicken. The chicken meat soaks up the rich, flavorful sauce while it cooks, making it ultra-tasty!
Serve it with fresh garlic bread, spoon it over linguine, or pair it with soft polenta. To keep it grain-free, pair it with spaghetti squash. The leftovers are possibly even better because the chicken takes on the sauce’s flavor!
Ingredient notes for this recipe
- Bone-in chicken thighs: Look for bone-in and skin-on chicken thighs weighing a total of about 3 pounds.
- Anchovy: The anchovies give this recipe subtle umami flavor but they do not make this taste fishy at all. If you don’t use anchovies often, look for oil packed jars or tubes of anchovie paste, both last ages in your fridge.
- Canned diced tomatoes: We tried this recipe with whole canned tomatoes, crushed by hand, as well as crushed canned tomatoes, and by far we preferred the taste and texture of the diced tomatoes. If you can find them I love the way fire roasted diced tomatoes taste. They add a bit of smokiness to the puttanesca sauce.
- Tomato paste: To thicken up the sauce and help it cling to the chicken you’ll need a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce.
- Sugar: This is optional, but recommended. It helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
How to make chicken puttanesca
To make this recipe, you brown the chicken in a skillet. Then, remove it to make the sauce. Once the sauce is simmering, add the chicken and bake it until it’s done. Here are the detailed instructions, along with step-by-step photos.
- Step 1: Sprinkle the chicken with kosher salt. You will also want to preheat your oven.
- Step 2: Heat the oil over high heat until it shimmers but does not smoke. Add the chicken and cook until the skin is golden. Flip it over and let it cook for a few minutes more, then remove it from the pan. (It will continue cooking in a later step.)
- Step 3: Reduce the heat, then briefly saute the garlic, anchovy, and red pepper flakes.
- Step 4: Next, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, dried oregano, olives, and capers. Make sure to scrape up any tasty browned bits from the bottom of the skillet!
- Step 5: Then, nestle the chicken into the sauce and transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking.
To serve, let the chicken cool in the sauce for a few minutes. Sprinkle on some basil, parsley, or oregano, then use a slotted spatula to lift the chicken out of the sauce and transfer it to a plate. Spoon the sauce around it.
Store and reheat
Store: Spoon the sauce over the chicken in a resealable storage container. Chill and then seal. Alternatively, you can pick the meat from the bone and mix it into the leftover sauce. (This is particularly yummy tossed with pasta.) Store in a resealable container. Enjoy within four days.
Reheat: To reheat the bone-in thighs, microwave them in the sauce on 50% power for about 4 minutes, or until they are steaming hot. The skin will no longer be crispy, so you can discard it. If you picked the meat off the bone and stirred it into the sauce, it can also be microwaved, or you can simmer it on the stovetop in a small saucepan. Serve it tossed with pasta!
Thanks so much for reading! If you make this recipe, please let us know by leaving a star rating and review! Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Chicken Puttanesca Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 6 large bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 5 fillets anchovies (finely chopped)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ cup pitted Italian olives (roughly chopped)
- 2 tablespoons drained jarred capers
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, parsley, or oregano (to serve)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle salt all over the chicken.¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, 6 large bone-in chicken thighs
- Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until the skin is browned, 5 to 6 minutes. With a thin spatula, flip the chicken over and cook on the other side until browned, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a plate; it will continue cooking in a later step.1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- If the skillet is smoking, remove it from the heat until it stops smoking. Reduce heat to medium, and add in the garlic, anchovy, and red pepper flake, stirring constantly. Cook until the garlic starts to brown, about 30 seconds.3 cloves garlic, 5 fillets anchovies, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Add the tomatoes (use caution as they may splatter), tomato paste, sugar, dried oregano, olives, and capers and cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.28 ounce can diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ cup pitted Italian olives, 2 tablespoons drained jarred capers
- Nestle the chicken into the sauce in the skillet, skin side up. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the chicken is very tender and the skin is crispy and browned. An instant thermometer should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit when inserted into the thighs without touching the bone, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve sprinkled with basil, parsley, or oregano.1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, parsley, or oregano
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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More recipes to try
- If you like chicken thighs and enjoy Italian cooking, try this Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore.
- This Chicken Provencale is a one-pot wonder and a great meal prep recipe!
- This Tomato Lentil Soup has lots of veggies and spices and is finished with a bit of spinach, a splash of cream, and olives.
- If you haven’t yet, check out my Italian Potato Salad recipe, which I shared earlier this year. It is mayo-free!
Could you use chicken breasts?
Yes! They don’t need to cook as long as thighs, so check them after 25 minutes.
This is one of the tastiest recipes I’ve cooked. The ingredients are cheap, It’s easy to cook and tastes brilliant. I would recommend his to anybody
Went amazingly well with a green salad and some french bread! Loved that this was such an easy recipe but tasted like I’d spent the whole day in the kitchen!
Such a yummy recipe! I had had puttanesca only with pasta, never with chicken, and it was a hit! How come I did not think about it before!
This was a fantastic recipe have tried many with olives and the taste was flat, this is delicious and will make it again
This is one of those dishes I’ve always wanted to try and never made or ordered. I’m SO EXCITED to have this awesome recipe so I can dive in face first! Thank you!