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This saucy chicken recipe with tender mushrooms and sweet bell peppers is an easy one-pot dinner. It’s packed with basil and parsley and is ready faster than a takeout dinner.
This saucy chicken is a tasty blend of Mediterranean and Italian flavors with a hint of Macedonian inspiration. It’s one of those go-to meals that feels like a warm hug at the end of a long day. My mom used to make this for us, and it’s her recipe that brings back so many fond memories. With fresh mushrooms, sweet onions, and colorful bell peppers, this dish comes together in half-an-hour and bursts with flavors and tender textures.
Why I Love This Saucy Chicken Recipe
- Quick. Dinner will be ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Convenient. This recipe uses store-bought tomato sauce to simplify life without sacrificing any flavor.
- Great freezer meal. Keep a batch in the freezer for hectic weeknights when you need a last minute home cooked meal.
- Beginner-friendly. Cook the veggies, add the chicken, and pour in the sauce. That’s it!
What You’ll Need
Sweet tomato sauce, basil, and fresh parsley give this saucy chicken recipe a simple Italian flavor profile. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact amounts.
- Olive oil – Avocado, coconut, corn, canola, or vegetable oil can be used instead.
- Chicken breasts – Make sure they’re boneless and skinless.
- Yellow onions – White onions are a good swap.
- Bell peppers – I used orange and yellow, but any color works for this.
- Mushrooms – Go for baby bellas, creminis, or white button mushrooms.
- Salt and pepper – I prefer kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.
- Basil – Use dried, fresh, or freeze-dried.
- Fresh parsley – Don’t use wilted parsley because it’ll add bitterness to the sauce.
- Pasta sauce – I love Ragú® Old World Style® Traditional Sauce, but add your favorite.
How To Make Saucy Chicken
This 3-step saucy chicken dinner is ready in just 25 minutes. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe card.
- Brown the chicken. Add the olive oil to a large pan and let it heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook it until browned on all sides.
- Sautée the veggies. Stir in the onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Season with salt, pepper, basil, and parsley. Mix well and cook until tender.
- Add the sauce. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Cook everything for another 5 minutes or until warm. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- Swap the protein. Use turkey instead of chicken for an easy variation. You can also just cook the veggies until tender, add the sauce, and stir in leftover Oven Roasted Turkey or Juicy Turkey Breast right before serving.
- Make it Tex-Mex. Swap the pasta sauce for your favorite tomato-based salsa and sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon taco seasoning for a Tex-Mex dinner.
- Add pasta. Boil 1-2 cups of your favorite short pasta like penne or fusilli and stir it in for a chicken pasta dinner. Long pastas like spaghetti and fettuccine work too.
- Make it melty. Sprinkle in 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 5 minutes before the cooking time is up. Cover the pan and finish cooking the chicken as usual or until the cheese is nice and melty.
- Use leftovers. Add leftover broccoli florets, baby spinach, or Bacon Wrapped Asparagus to this recipe for a heartier dinner that also reduces food waste.
- Grab a large pan. Make sure that the pan you use is large enough for all the veggies and chicken. If not, you might have to cook in batches. When the pan is too small, the chicken sweats and steams rather than browns.
Serving Suggestions
This saucy chicken is an easy dinner with pasta, more veggies, or a side salad. Serve it with my Sun-Dried Pasta or Garlic Butter Pasta with Spinach. My Brussels Sprouts with Bacon are great, too. For salad ideas, try my Tomato Burrata Salad or this easy La Scala Chopped Salad.
Proper Storage
To store, place leftovers in an airtight container and keep them refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating
To reheat, you can microwave the chicken leftovers for up to a minute or until warm. You can also heat it in a pan over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
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Saucy Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 ounces chicken breast, cubed
- 2 small yellow onions, sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ tablespoon freeze dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, you can also use fresh parsley
- 1 cup jarred pasta sauce, use your favorite
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the heated oil; cook for 2 minutes or until browned on all sides.
- Stir the rest of the ingredients into the pan, except the pasta sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked and the vegetables are tender. Add more oil if needed.
- Stir in the sauce and continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until heated through. Remove from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly. Serve.
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.
My all time favorite!
So easy yet so tasty!
Cook it for someone to impress or just for you to savor on.
Great to hear it’s your favorite! It’s awesome that it’s easy and tasty, perfect for any occasion. Thank YOU! 🙂
I’m glad to hear the instructions were helpful and you found the bread delicious! Thank YOU! 🙂
Cooking this tomorrow. I’m no cook by any means just looking for easy meals to learn. Hope for the best. Looks great though.
I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This was amazing! I used the whole jar of sauce and served over raw zucchini “noodles” and it was FANTASTIC! Will definitely be a staple go-to dinner.
ok so I tried to make this and ended up botching it by using the entire jar of ragu instead of just a cup. so I improvised and added penne pasta IN it, as opposed to having the chicken over the pasta like I had originally planned…and it turned out amazing! Can’t wait to try this again, this time as intended in the recipe!
I love using bell peppers as much for their color as their flavor. Looks like a quick family meal–I’m always looking for more of those! Thanks!
Yes! I love those family meals as well – quick, one-pot, delicious, and quick! 😉 Thanks, Lauren!
Love one pot meals like this! I always helped my mom in the kitchen too, but she probably didn’t think of it as helping 🙂
Great dish inspired by Ragu…. 🙂