Chicken Puttanesca
Chicken Puttanesca is a fantastic meal prepared with juicy chicken thighs cooked in a vibrant tomato-based sauce with plenty of garlic, olives, capers, and more.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small yellow onion thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 5 anchovies finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 28 ounces can of crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup pitted green olives rinsed, dried, and cut in half
- 2 tablespoons capers
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
- Brown the chicken thighs. Heat the cooking oil in a large, deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side down, to the heated oil and cook for about 5 minutes; flip and cook for 4 to 5 more minutes or until just browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics. Add the sliced onions to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Add more oil if needed. Stir in the garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add anchovies and pepper flakes, and continue to cook for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the tomatoes, olives, and capers. Stir in the tomato paste until dissolved. Then, stir in the crushed tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Mix in the olives and capers.
- Combine and cook. Return the chicken thighs to the skillet. Continue simmering for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce begins to look dry at any point, add a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth or water.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat and let it rest for 5 minutes. Serve the chicken thighs with the puttanesca sauce, garnished with parsley.
Notes
- Chicken thighs vs chicken breasts: I advise using bone-in chicken thighs in this recipe, but if you decide to use boneless chicken breasts, take into account that those will need less time to cook through. Use an Instant Read Meat Thermometer to check for doneness. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Crispy chicken: To crisp up the skin, you can place the pan with the thoroughly cooked chicken under the broiler for a few minutes, or until the skin is browned and crispy.
- Anchovies: If these little slender fish don't make you want to jump at this recipe, you can always just leave them out. They add a salty, umami flavor to the dish and play a traditional role in the classic puttanesca sauce. A good substitute for anchovies is sardines.
Nutrition
Calories: 491kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 821mg | Potassium: 1029mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 810IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 110mg | Iron: 4mg
