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This one-skillet, 30-minute Chicken in Tomato Sauce recipe is a must-add to your dinner rotation. Pan-seared chicken breasts are simmered to flavorful perfection in a rich, creamy tomato sauce with capers. Serve it with crusty skillet bread to soak up every drop of that delicious sauce.
Picture this: chicken breasts cooked to juicy perfection in a creamy tomato sauce. Sounds good, right? That’s because it is! This chicken in tomato sauce has become a quick and easy weeknight favorite for my family and me. It’s so quick and easy, and the sauce is just the right amount of rich and tangy.
Did I mention it has capers in it, too? I love the bright little zing they add. And that chicken!? It’s irresistibly tender and juicy. Put it all together, and this is a comforting, convenient, satisfying meal that will have you making it again and again.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Recipe
- Flavorful. There’s so much going on in this sauce! Between the tang of the tomatoes, the bite of the capers, and the subtle sweetness of basil and white wine, your taste buds are in for a treat.
- Rich and creamy. I love the addition of half and half to the tomato sauce. It breaks up the acidity of the tomatoes and wine, smoothing the flavors out for a perfectly balanced sauce.
- Dinner in 30 minutes. Need I say more? Chicken in Tomato Sauce is a great quick and easy weeknight dinner to add to your recipe book. Plus, it’s all done in 1 skillet! Can someone say, “easy cleanup!”?
Ingredient Notes
To make this tangy, savory, creamy chicken in tomato sauce recipe, you’ll need just a few simple ingredients like chicken breasts, canned tomatoes, and some dried herbs and aromatics. For exact measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Olive oil – For the pan. You could use avocado oil or another neutral cooking oil of your choosing.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast tenders would also work. You’ll just need to adjust your cooking time.
- Dried basil – For that Italian flare. Italian seasoning would also do the trick.
- Fresh ground black pepper – Grinding pepper from whole peppercorns yields the best flavor. Pre-ground black pepper is okay to use.
- Butter – The butter acts as the base of the sauce and contributes a richness to the dish. Not a butter person? You can use olive oil instead.
- Yellow onion – You could also use white onion or a couple of shallots.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves of garlic are best. You can use jarred, pre-minced cloves or even garlic powder, but the flavor won’t be quite the same.
- Dry white wine – I generally use a pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc. If you don’t want to use alcohol, chicken broth is a good alternative here.
- Diced tomatoes – I like using canned, no-salt-added tomatoes. They are super convenient. If you’d like to dice up some fresh Roma tomatoes instead, though, go for it! Diced roasted red peppers are also a great addition here.
- Tomato paste – The tomato paste deepens the tomato flavor of the sauce.
- Dried oregano – Italian seasoning would also do the trick.
- Half & half – You could also use light cream, heavy cream, or evaporated milk. It depends on how rich you want your sauce to be.
- Capers – The capers deliver a peppery little bite that I love. Be sure to drain them before adding to the sauce.
- Fresh parsley – The parsley adds a little pop of color and some freshness to the finished dish.
How to Make Chicken in Tomato Sauce
Time to get cooking! Here’s a quick rundown of how to make this easy and quick yet mouthwatering entree.
- Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and season the chicken with basil, salt, and pepper. Cook the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Saute. Melt the butter in the pan and then add the onions. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze. Add the wine and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to knock any brown bits from the pan.
- Make it saucy. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, half & half, and capers.
- Put it all together. Return the chicken to the pan, bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Finishing touches. Remove the chicken in tomato sauce from the heat, garnish with parsley, and serve. If you like a bit of a kick, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Tips & Variation Ideas
- A note on deglazing the pan. When deglazing with wine, be sure to use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. They will deepen the sauce’s flavor.
- Don’t overcook the chicken. No one likes dry chicken breasts, so be sure not to simmer yours in the sauce for too long. Use a meat thermometer to check on the internal temperature of the largest piece a couple of minutes before your timer goes off. Once it reaches 165°F, your chicken is done.
- Control your temperature. Once you add the half & half, you’ll bring the sauce to a boil. Then, you want to reduce the temperature immediately. If the sauce boils for too long, the half & half will scald.
- Try a different cut of chicken. If you’re not a boneless, skinless chicken breast person, try boneless, skinless thighs or breast tenders. You could also use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs. Just note that you will have to adjust your cooking time. Anything bone-in, skin-on will take longer. So will boneless, skinless thighs. Breast tenders will need less time in the pan.
- Add richness. If you want your sauce to be extra rich, use heavy cream instead of half and half. You could also use crushed tomatoes or even marinara sauce instead of diced tomatoes.
- Make it cheesy. You can sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of the saucy chicken as it simmers. Cover the pan and watch as the cheese melts.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this saucy chicken dish with a light salad and a hunk of crusty bread to mop up the sauce. Consider this green goddess salad and your favorite sourdough loaf OR (if you have time) some homemade focaccia.
Looking for a heartier meal? Serve it over cooked pasta or pair it with avocado pesto pasta. You can also serve it over rice, drizzling plenty of the delicious sauce from the pan.
How to Store & Reheat Extras
- Refrigerator. Allow the chicken and tomato sauce to cool to room temperature before transferring it all to an airtight container. You can store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Once cool, transfer the leftovers to a freezer-safe, airtight container and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the chicken to thaw in the fridge (if applicable) before transferring it all to a baking dish. Bake covered at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Alternatively, microwave individual servings in 30-second intervals until warm.
More Chicken Dinner Ideas
- Mojo Chicken
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crack Chicken
- Creamy Crock Pot Chicken Marsala
- Harissa Chicken
- Baked Honey Mustard Chicken
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Chicken in Tomato Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ⅓ cup half & half, you can also use light cream, heavy cream, or evaporated milk
- ¼ cup drained capers
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet.
- Season the chicken breasts with dried basil, salt, and pepper.
- Add the chicken breasts to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until lightly browned.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and set them aside.
- Add butter to the skillet and let it melt. Add in the diced onions and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the garlic and cook for 20 seconds.
- Stir in the wine to deglaze the pan and dissolve the brown pieces found at the bottom of the skillet; continue to cook for 4 minutes, or until reduced.
- Mix in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, half & half, and capers.
- Place the chicken back in the skillet. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 8 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Then, serve your chicken in tomato sauce garnished with parsley.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Yummy and quick dish. I did not have heavy cream and used evaporated milk in its place – worked well. Also used red wine instead of white. Versatile dish. Served with red lentil pasta.
Wow! This was a great find, we really enjoyed it – I made the following amends to reduce the fat and carbs.
– used lite Greek yoghurt rather than cream
– used chicken stock rather than the wine
This will be a regular for us! Thank you
That’s great! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
Has anyone used yogurt in place of the cream?
Great recipe. Quick and easy.
This was absolutely delicious! We didn’t use capers and added mushrooms, YUM! Will definitely make this again 🙂
Just wanted to say that I didn’t expect capers to be so good with this, but they really made the dish.
I made a close version to this recipe last night and it was so good! I made a couple of changes based on the ingredients I had on hand. Tomato sauce instead of tomatoes, left out extra basil and oregano and used cream cheese instead of cream. Thank you for this easy quick recipe.
This is one of those rare finds on the internet. Its both the ingredients and the cooking method and makes it so wonderful. Quickly browning the chicken and removing it until the end ensures they are still juicy when everything is done. The tang of the capers balances the sweetness of the onion/garlic infused wine reduction. Man. A1. Its one of our favorites. The only thing I change is I add a tablespoon of hot sauce. Enough to liven the flavours but in no way cover anything. Oh. And I dice some fresh tomatoes instead of canned. Whoever is reading this…you’ve got to try it!
I just wanted you to know that it shows 1 teaspoon of dried basil twice in your recipe. I am hoping you only meant to put it once as I am making this tonight. I will let you know how it turns out. I am super excited!
That’s because you season the breast with the first teaspoon and the second teaspoon is added later!!
This is a delicious recipe. A favourite for us. Didn’t have any capers this time round so used a chilli instead. Added that extra punch