Name: Easy Chicken Puttanesca
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 and ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts; 1 tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp dried parsley; ½ tsp dried oregano; ½ tsp dried basil; 2 tbsp olive oil – separated; 4 cloves garlic minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 (15 oz) can of diced tomatoes; ¾ cup pitted and crushed castellano olives; 2 tbsp capers; Juice from ½ a lemon; ½ cup water; Fresh cracked black pepper and parm for topping

This Easy Chicken Puttanesca recipe is loaded with flavor. Soak up all of the delicious puttanesca sauce with bread or pasta for the perfect meal.

Above view of chicken puttanesca served with spaghetti

Make this flavorful chicken dish all in one skillet

I love a one pan meal for easy weeknight dinners. This chicken puttanesca recipe may only require one dish, but it still packs tons of flavor.

You make it by searing the chicken in a dried spice blend. Then, simmer tomatoes, olives, capers, and lemon juice together to make the delicious puttanesca sauce.

There is plenty of extra sauce to soak up with pasta and crusty bread or to serve over roasted potatoes. The flavor is simply addicting! I promise this simple recipe will become a family favorite.

Above view of chicken breasts cooked in a simple puttanesca sauce

Kitchen tools

Sharp knife and cutting board
Measuring spoons, measuring cups and liquid measuring cup
Tongs and a wooden spoon
Oven safe skillet

Serving Suggestions

This chicken puttanesca is delicious on its own, but I prefer to serve it over pasta. You can also serve it over rice or with roasted potatoes.

For a low carb meal you can serve it with zucchini noodles or roasted cauliflower. I also like to serve it with an Italian chopped salad.

What is a puttanesca sauce?

A classic puttanesca sauce originated in Italy in the mid 20th century. It is traditionally made with tomatoes, olive oil, olives, anchovies, chili peppers, capers and garlic. It is usually served over spagthetti.

This easy chicken puttanesca is a twist on the classic recipe. It incorporates many of the traditional flavors, but omits the anchovies and chili peppers.

Ingredients

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried basil
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic cloves
Tomato paste
Diced tomatoes
Castellano olives
Capers
Lemon

Ingredient substitutions

You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. Just make sure you cook the chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 165F to ensure they are cooked through.

Instead of using the dried seasoning blend listed above you could use a premade Italian seasoning blend to season the chicken.

I love the flavor of castellano olives, but you could really use any type of olives like black olives or kalamata olives. It is easiest to buy the olives with the pits removed already so you can easily crush them with the back of your knife.

Instead of canned diced tomatoes you could use fresh diced tomatoes to make the tomato sauce. To add some spice to this pasta puttanesca mix some red pepper flakes in with the sauce.

Above view of step by step assembly of a chicken puttanesca recipe

How to make chicken puttanesca

Step 1: Season and sear chicken

To begin, Preheat oven to 400F. Mix salt, parsley, oregano and basil together and season chicken breasts with the mixture on both sides.

Then, heat 1 tbsp of oil in an oven safe skillet over medium heat. When the oil is warm, place chicken breasts in the skillet and cook on 3 minutes each side to brown it.

Step 2: Prepare puttanesca sauce

Next, remove chicken from skillet and reduce heat to low. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and pour in the minced garlic.

Let the garlic cook for just a minute and then add the tomato paste to the skillet.

Then, cook tomato paste and garlic together for another minute then add the diced tomatoes, olives, capers, lemon juice and water to the pan. Mix to combine and increase the heat to medium-high

Allow the ingredients to simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 3: bake chicken in sauce

Turn off the heat and nestle the chicken back into the pan and top each piece with a few spoonfuls of sauce.

Then, bake in the preheated oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes checking for the internal temperature of the chicken to reach 165F.

Top with black pepper and parmesan cheese. Serve on its own, over rice or over pasta.

Three quarter view of a chicken puttanesca recipe served with pasta

Storage and reheating

Allow the chicken and puttanesca sauce to cool completely. Then, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

This dish is best enjoyed immediately. If you need to reheat it, I recommend slicing down the chicken and reheating in the sauce on the stove top until it is all warmed through.

Check out these other chicken skillet recipes

Recipe