One pot Chicken Puttanesca. Juicy chicken thighs served in a rich and delicious Puttanesca sauce made with tomatoes, white wine, anchovies, capers and olives. This dish is hearty, comforting and irresistibly delicious! Serve with creamy polenta or mashed potatoes.
If you're a fan of the Neapolitan classic, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca you're going to love this recipe.
The same rich and delicious Puttanesca sauce made with olives, capers, anchovies and parsley is served with juicy and flavourful chicken.
It's served with creamy polenta or potatoes for the ultimate comforting meal, perfect for those colder months.
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below
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Ingredients
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Chicken thighs or legs - use skin on and bone-in chicken thighs or legs (or a mix of both). You'll want to use 8 pieces of chicken in total.
- Anchovies - even if you don't like anchovies, use them. They add so much flavour and there's no fishy taste in this recipe at all.
- Garlic - the garlic is peeled but kept whole you can choose to finely chop or crush it instead.
- Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) - I find ¼ teaspoon is a great amount or ½ teaspoon for slightly more heat. You can choose how mild or hot you'd like it and adjust accordingly.
- White wine - use a white wine that you'd drink and stay away from cooking wine. Some white wines that we love to use are Pinot Grigio, Vermentino and Pecorino.
- Chopped tomatoes - high-quality tomatoes are so important, I like to use Cirio and Mutti brands. I've heard Cento is a good, readily available brand in the US although I haven't used them myself. You can also use crushed tomatoes.
- Olives - you can use any black or green olives you like.
- Capers - those in brine are best, if they are jarred in salt make sure to rinse them thoroughly before using.
- Parsley - make sure to use fresh parsley and add it at the very end before serving, don't use dried!
Step by step photos and instructions
Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, brown the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side then transfer to a plate (you may need to do this in 2 batches). If you find there is a large amount of excess oil in the pan, drain it so you’re left with around 2 tablespoons (photo 1).
Turn the heat down low and add the whole garlic clove, anchovies and chilli flakes. Stir until the anchovies have melted then add the white wine. Scrape away any brown bits from the pan and simmer the wine until it has reduced by half (photos 2-4).
Add the chopped tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper then add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and simmer on a medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly (photos 5-7).
At the end of cooking add the olives, capers and chopped fresh parsley and stir into the sauce. Serve with creamy mash or polenta (photo 8).
What to serve with it
The rich tomato sauce in this recipe is perfect served with creamy polenta or buttery mashed potatoes it just makes the dish extra comforting.
You could also serve it with Italian roast potatoes, polenta fries, sauteed broccolini or any veggies you like.
Recipe tips
- Chicken to use - you can use a mix of chicken thighs and drumsticks or one or the other. For best results use skin-on and bone-in chicken which keeps it juicy and full of flavour. Boneless chicken will need less cooking time.
- Anchovies - don't worry if you don't like them the sauce isn't fishy at all but they do add a lot of flavour and I don't recommend skipping them if possible.
- Storage - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
FAQs
Puttanesca sauce has a rich tomato flavour, slightly salty from the olives and anchovies and a slight heat from the chilli flakes.
Yes, skinless chicken still works great in this recipe.
Yes, you can make this recipe 1-2 days in advance and reheat it until piping hot on the stove. Add a splash of water if the sauce has reduced too much.
Yes, you can freeze chicken puttanesca in suitable containers. Defrost completely before reheating until it's piping hot.
More Italian comfort food recipes to try
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📖 Full Recipe
Chicken Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 8 pieces chicken thighs and or legs skin on and bone in
- 4-5 anchovy fillets
- 1 whole garlic clove peeled
- ¼ teaspoon chilli flakes red pepper flakes
- â…“ cup dry white wine 80ml
- 28 oz chopped tomatoes high quality (800g)
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 10 olives black or green
- 1 small handful fresh parsley
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to season
Equipment
- 1 medium-large saute pan with lid
Instructions
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pan, brown the chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side then transfer to a plate (you may need to do this in 2 batches). If you find there is a large amount of excess oil in the pan, drain it so you’re left with around 2 tablespoons.
- Turn the heat down low and add the whole garlic clove, anchovies and chilli flakes. Stir until the anchovies have melted then add the white wine. Scrape away any brown bits from the pan and simmer the wine until it has reduced by half.
- Add the chopped tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper then add the chicken back to the pan. Cover and simmer on a medium heat for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for a further 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
- At the end of cooking add the olives, capers and chopped fresh parsley and stir into the sauce. Serve with creamy mash or polenta.
Notes
- Chicken to use - you can use a mix of chicken thighs and drumsticks or one or the other. For best results use skin-on and bone-in chicken which keeps it juicy and full of flavour. Boneless chicken will need less cooking time.
- Anchovies - don't worry if you don't like them the sauce isn't fishy at all but they do add a lot of flavour and I don't recommend skipping them if possible.
- Storage - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3-4 days
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
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