This Skillet Chicken Puttanesca combines a handful of simple ingredients and cooks in just 30 minutes. With juicy seared chicken and a savory, umami tomato sauce, it’s a no-fuss easy weeknight dinner that will make you feel like you’re dining in Italy!
Sponsored by our friends at DeLallo, this skillet chicken puttanesca recipe is made with simple ingredients and a homemade puttanesca sauce for a scrumptious Italian recipe that couldn’t be easier to make. Thank you for supporting the brands that help us to create delicious gluten-free recipes like this one for you! Full disclosure and privacy terms here.
What Is Chicken Puttanesca?
The first time I ever tried Puttanesca was in Italy. I remember taking a bite and thinking, “What is in this? It’s like a flavor bomb in my mouth!” If you’re unfamiliar, puttanesca is a Neapolitan pasta sauce. Made with simple ingredients including tomatoes, garlic, anchovies, olives, and capers, it’s a classic Italian dish!
Heavily seasoned and bold in flavor, puttanesca sauce is typically served with pasta noodles, but we’re combining it with chicken! Puttanesca has become one of my go-to, throw-together, heat-and-eat sauces, made mostly with pantry staples. Almost every ingredient is something you’ll find in your pantry.
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Below is an overview of the ingredients and instructions needed to make this recipe. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details including calories, carbohydrates, fiber, sodium, etc.!
- Chicken – We’re using skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs for the juiciest texture and boldest flavor. Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted if preferred. Just keep in mind that cooking times will need to be adjusted as the boneless skinless thighs will cook quicker.
- DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This helps sear the chicken, locking in flavor and moisture and enhances the flavor of the rest of the ingredients.
- Garlic – For the best taste, use whole garlic cloves.
- DeLallo Anchovy Fillets – These are the secret to the best sauce! Anchovies are packed with glutamate, an amino acid that adds a deep, savory flavor to your dishes. Trust me, you won’t even realize they’re in the sauce. There’s no fishy taste whatsoever! However, if you need an alternative, check out Delallo’s tips for substituting anchovies.
- Herbs and Spices – Kosher salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried oregano create the savory, herbaceous, slightly spicy flavor we want with classic puttanesca sauce.
Note: Feel free to adjust the seasonings to taste. For example, add more red pepper flakes if you love heat!
- Tomato Paste – This helps thicken the sauce and creates a bolder tomato flavor.
- DeLallo Whole San Marzano Style Tomatoes – I have used crushed tomatoes several times while making this dish, and while they work, the sauce sometimes turns out too runny for my taste. I prefer a thicker consistency. So, now I stick with whole tomatoes. I crush them in a bowl using my hands or a fork before adding them to the skillet, and it makes all the difference. DeLallo Whole San Marzano Style Tomatoes give the sauce a mildly acidic flavor, meaning they don’t overpower the other bold flavors in the sauce.
- DeLallo Nonpareil Capers – These are another key ingredient in this dish. I prefer using small, Nonpareil Capers, especially since there are already plenty of briny flavors in the mix. Also, look for capers that have been cured using the salt and vinegar method for the best flavor.
- DeLallo Jumbo Seasoned Pitted Kalamata Olives – Again, I have made this dish using SO many types of olives. Green, black, you name it. They all work and are delicious. However, I found the combination of Kalamata Olives with just a few green olives, such as Delallo Olive Jubilee, creates a smoky and tart flavor that’s hard to beat.
How to Make Chicken Puttanesca
- Season the chicken. Use a clean paper towel to pat the chicken dry, and remove any moisture. Then, season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear. Heat oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chicken thighs skin side down, and cook until they’re nicely browned without moving them! Flip the thighs, and continue to cook until browned on the other side. Then, transfer them to a plate, and set it aside.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to remove as much moisture from the chicken skin as possible! This will prevent it from sticking to the pan and tearing away meat when searing.
- Sauté. In the same pan, add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies melt (dissolve) into the mix.
- Finish the sauce. Stir in the tomato paste and dried oregano with the garlic mixture, and cook for an additional minute. Then, add the tomatoes, and stir to combine.
- Simmer. Add the capers and olives followed by the chicken thighs. Partially cover the pan, and simmer until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Garnish. Adjust the seasonings to taste, and top the dish with more capers. Then, add Italian parsley, Kalamata olives, and cracked pepper to garnish. Enjoy warm!
Serving Suggestions
You can easily serve this chicken puttanesca recipe on its own. However, we love to enjoy it over gluten-free pasta or zucchini noodles to keep it low-carb. Then, add veggie-packed sides like:
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Common Questions
The word puttanesca is related to ladies of the night. There are many stories as to how the dish got its name. However, it’s largely believed that it’s because the dish is quick, satisfying, and easy.
Stored in an airtight container, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days.
Yes! Place cooled chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months. If you’re looking to meal prep, the sauce can be made up to two days in advance. Once cooked and cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
Skillet Chicken Puttanesca Recipe
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 5 people 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Make this skillet chicken puttanesca recipe with flavorful chicken thighs and a savory, umami tomato sauce for a restaurant-worthy meal in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ to 2 lbs skin on bone-in chicken thighs (see notes)
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1–2 Tablespoons DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 to 5 DeLallo Anchovy Fillets, chopped or 3 teaspoons anchovy paste (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (28-ounce) can DeLallo Whole San Marzano Style Tomatoes, crushed, or crushed canned tomatoes
- 3 Tablespoons DeLallo Nonpareil Capers, divided
- ½ cup DeLallo Jumbo Seasoned Pitted Kalamata Olives or green olives, sliced
- Garnish: chopped Italian parsley, whole Kalamata olives, and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Remove moisture from the chicken thighs with a paper towel and generously season with salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, place the chicken thighs skin-side down and cook (do not move them) until they’re nicely browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the thighs and cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- In the same pan, add the garlic, anchovies, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies have melted into the mix, roughly 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and dried oregano with the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine with the tomato paste.
- Next, add in 2 Tablespoons capers and olives followed by the chicken thighs. Partially cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken has reached 165F and is cooked through.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with remaining 1 Tablespoon capers.
- Remove from the heat and, if desired, garnish with Italian parsley, Kalamata olives and cracked pepper.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Substitute Tips – Boneless skinless chicken thighs can be substituted, but cooking times will need to be adjusted as the boneless skinless thighs will cook quicker. Delallo’s tips for substituting anchovies in puttanesca – “There really is no perfect substitute for the anchovies in Puttanesca sauce, but you can use miso paste, fish sauce or even just a little extra salt.”
Storage Tips – Place cooled chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you’re looking to meal-prep, the sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead. Once cooked and cooled, store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh in sauce
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 732.7 mg
- Fat: 27.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 6.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.5 g
- Fiber: 2.1 g
- Protein: 24.9 g
- Cholesterol: 135.6 mg
This was so good and so easy! I used boneless chicken and green olives. 🫒
Glad you enjoyed it! I love using green olives too. They have a little more bite to them. 😉