Italian Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives

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.

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Italian Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 40 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

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Seared chicken thighs finish in the oven in a rich tomato, olive, and caper sauce. The depth comes from tomato paste cooked down until it caramelizes, so no wine is needed. Serve with crusty bread, pasta, or polenta.

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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

I absolutely love crispy chicken skin, so I always make the recipe with it. If you’d rather use skinless chicken, add an extra splash of oil to the pan when browning it.

 Store any leftovers in a covered container in your fridge for 3-4 days.

This recipe is easy to freeze. Once it’s cooked and completely cooled, transfer it to a freezer-proof container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge, and warm it in the oven or on the stovetop.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 845kcal (42%), Carbohydrates: 20g (7%), Protein: 50g (100%), Fat: 61g (94%), Saturated Fat: 15g (94%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g, Monounsaturated Fat: 29g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 283mg (94%), Sodium: 1454mg (63%), Potassium: 1211mg (35%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 11g (12%), Vitamin A: 851IU (17%), Vitamin C: 25mg (30%), Calcium: 130mg (13%), Iron: 5mg (28%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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