Italian Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My Italian braised chicken is rich, briny, and deeply savory without a drop of wine. Crispy-skinned, seared chicken thighs finish in a tomato-and-olive sauce that tastes like it simmered for hours. One pan, all pantry staples.
My Italian braised chicken is one of those cozy skillet dinners that tastes like it simmered all afternoon, even though it’s simple enough for a weeknight. I sear the chicken thighs until the skin crisps and turns golden, then finish in the oven in a tomato and olive sauce that turns rich and glossy while it cooks.
Here’s the part I’d never skip. Most braised chicken recipes lean on a bottle of wine for depth, but this one builds it right in the pan instead. Four tablespoons of tomato paste cook down until they darken and smell almost caramelized, which takes about three minutes and changes everything about the finished sauce. A splash of balsamic rounds it out, the olives and capers add little bursts of briny flavor, and fresh rosemary and oregano give it that classic Italian feel.
I love that it’s all pantry staples, so tyou don’t need anopen bottle of red rn a Tuesday. Serve it with crusty garlic bread, pasta, or creamy polenta to soak up every bit of the sauce.
Why the chicken goes in skin side up first
It feels backward, I know. If the goal is crispy skin, start skin side down.
Here’s what I’ve found in my kitchen. Starting skin side up lets the heat of the pan warm the skin from above while some of the fat renders out of the underside into the pan. By the time you flip the thighs, the skin releases cleanly and browns evenly instead of sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Go by color more than the clock. Three to four minutes on the first side and five to six on the second is right for most pans, but cast iron sears faster than stainless or enameled, so check a minute or two early the first time you make it.
And don’t worry about cooking the chicken through at this stage. You’re only browning it here. It finishes cooking in the oven, in the sauce.
What to serve with Italian braised chicken
There’s a lot of sauce in that pan, and the whole point is having something to soak it up with. My two favorites are garlic butter pasta, which keeps things simple enough that the sauce stays the star, and garlic parmesan mashed potatoes when I want the meal to feel a little more substantial. Creamy polenta or thick slices of crusty bread work just as well.
For something green, keep it simple and a little sharp. Broccolini or rapini sautéed in olive oil and garlic stands up to the rich tomato sauce, and green beans with a squeeze of lemon do the same. If you’d rather keep it cold and crisp, a handful of arugula dressed with lemon and olive oil is all it needs.
Italian Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup coarsely chopped black olives
- 2 tablespoons EACH: capers and balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon EACH: chopped rosemary and oregano
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
- Set your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Heat the oil in a large, ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add the chicken thighs to the pan, skin-side up, and brown them for 5-6 minutes. Flip the chicken over and cook until the skin is brown and crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan. (While the chicken cooks, prep the remaining ingredients.)2 tablespoons olive oil
- Pour out all but about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and let it cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly and is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape the bottom of the pan.1 medium yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, 4 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ cup chicken stock
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, skin side up. Bake the chicken, uncovered, for 40 minutes, until the thighs reach 175 degrees Fahrenheit.28 ounce can diced tomatoes, 1 cup coarsely chopped black olives, 2 tablespoons EACH: capers and balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon EACH: chopped rosemary and oregano, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon honey
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I used 1/2 cup of Lambrusco wine as the sauce was a little dry as it cooked off and that made a world of difference when adding that little bit of liquid.
That’s such a great idea! Lambrusco would add such a lovely depth of flavor — I’m definitely going to try that next time. Thanks so much for sharing your tip! 💛
Could I prepare the Italian chicken the day before and do the oven component the next day to serve
Hi Phyllis! Yes, that would work well!
Absolutely delicious and easy to make.
Thanks, John!
Does it make any difference on what kind of olives are used? Green/black?
I often use a mix of both! As long as they are olives that you enjoy eating, they will work in this recipe.
Super
Made exactly to the recipe. Didn’t add salt to anything but the chicken. Absolutely wonderful. We will be doing again.
I cooked this on the stovetop. One hour covered & simmered. I removed the chicken thighs (Bone-in, skinless), covered with foil to keep warm, and then reduced down the sauce (Uncovered) for about 1/2 hour, adjusting the seasonings to taste. That’s when the magic happened!
The sauce was excellent and the chicken was very moist and tender, but still intact. There was enough sauce left over for a future dinner for the two of us. I highly recommend using imported San Marzano tomatoes; the higher quality really does make a difference!
I made this last night for a very special occasion – a reunion for my husband and 2 cousins who haven’t seen each other in 30 years. I could tell by the ingredients and description that it would be wonderful. It didn’t disappoint. I made it exactly as written (with the exception of using “no salt added” tomato products), and it was marvelous. I served it with wide fettuccini noodles and a salad. It was divine and the ultimate comfort food. The glass of wine while letting the dish finish in the oven was especially wonderful… I will put this my “pins I’ve made and loved and will make again” board. Thank you, Kristen!
I love this dish! It’s a wonderful and welcome variation on Italian red sauce recipes. I’ve made it 3 times now and I think it tastes better using a chopped red onion and 1 cp Kalamata olives and 1/4 cp green olives (Divina brand) and 1 can of good quality San Marzano crushed tomatoes instead of diced. (The capers were too strong for us the second time, even after rinsing, so I substituted green olives. Personally, I would not use both.)
I used boneless skinless (Bell & Evans) chicken breasts, browned them 4-5 minutes on each side and then removed and covered them in foil while I made the sauce and then added them back into the pan after letting the sauce simmer on med-low for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
(FYI: I use my 3 qt All Clad (original stainless line) saute pan, which is oven safe UNCOVERED up to 450. The cover is not oven safe. It’s the best all-around cooking utensil I own, along with my 12″ cast iron skillet.)
Kristen, thank you for adding this amazing Italian chicken recipe to your website. I’m not one to usually leave a review but this was sooooooo delicious! Easy to create, full of flavour and now a new family favourite!
For everyone else, STEP 3 is essential! Do not underestimate the flavour of caramelizing tomato paste.
Love this braised chicken but made it with boneless chicken thighs cut up the chicken and mixed the whole thing with some pasta .makes a amazing pasta dish
This smells amazing. I do have one question. Generally u cover the chicken when braising.
Is this supposed to be covered? It’s looking a little thick. Any suggestions?
I like to leave the lid off so that the chicken skin stays a little crispy. 🙂
tasty recipe – one change: crushed tomatoes
diced tomatoes stay diced – crushed tomatoes worked better, especially with Cento or other Italian crushed tomatoes
Overpowering tomato. Not pleasant
Yep, just like the recipe title suggests, tomatoes play a big role in this recipe. 🙂
I really love this recipe and want to share it, but before I do, I want to check a few instructions. I can’t seem to get crispy skin in the recommended 7-8 minutes on each side. I need at least 15 minutes on each side, even with the heat high. Any tips? Also, the recipe calls for putting the thighs in the pan skin side up and turning them when fat is released. Isn’t the fat under the skin making it more practical to put them in skin side down? Thank you.
I find that I get the best results when I put chicken thighs in skin side up to begin with. The heat from the pan begins to warm the skin and some fat from the bottom is released into the pan. Both these things seem to help prevent the skin from sticking when you flip the chicken over.
Not 100% sure about the time difference. The material of the cookware you use as well as the temperature different stoves cook at could be the reason.