An easy version of classic Chicken Puttanesca! Simple ingredients yield a deep and flavorful Italian dish your whole family will love!
This easy 30 minute chicken breast recipe is made in one pan with fresh flavors that come together in a flash!
Ingredients in Easy Chicken Puttanesca
- boneless chicken breasts
- onion
- garlic
- crushed tomatoes
- kalmata olives
- cherry tomatoes
- fresh basil
Before we get started, lets chat about…
How to sear a chicken breast perfectly –
We like to do this quickly with little or no mess by rubbing the chicken with olive oil and NOT ADDING ANY INTO THE PAN. Heat your pan to medium-high heat. Rub your chicken with olive oil and liberally salt and pepper. This helps form a crust.
I know…raw chicken pics again. But we do it all for you!
Place the chicken into your hot skillet and do not touch…I repeat, do not touch! Let sear for 3-4 minutes until the chicken releases easily from the pan. Chicken is smart, it will tell you what to do. If it sticks, it isn’t ready. Flip and sear the other side.
For this recipe it isn’t necessary for the chicken to be cooked all the way through. You will finish it off in your puttanesca sauce.
How to make Chicken Puttanesca!
Remove your seared chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium, add onion and sauce until soft. Add garlic for a minute or two and your can of crushed tomatoes
Can I use diced tomatoes or tomato sauce?
If thats whats in your pantry than yes! If using diced give them a little mash. If using tomato sauce just know your puttanesca will be more like a spaghetti sauce. Which is still super tasty, but not a classic puttanesca.
Next, nestle (I love that word) your seared chicken on top of your tomato sauce.
Spoon a little sauce over your seared chicken. Sprinkle with cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives.
Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and has reached an internal temp of 165 degrees.
Yes, I stood there with camera in hand waiting for my meat thermometer to get to 165 ..what can I say, I have no life :).
How do I serve this delicious Chicken Puttanesca?
- top with a sprinkle of feta or parmesan
- serve on top of angel hair pasta (or any pasta for that matter!)
- along side of a simple green salad and baguette
Tender delicious chicken. I promise you, you will make this easy dish over and over again!
Make this 30 Minute Chicken Puttanesca to perfection with our video below!
More easy recipes using boneless chicken breasts –
- Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Pan Sauce
- Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breasts
- Rosemary Chicken
- Chicken in Mustard Cream Sauce
LET’S EAT!
Kathi and Rachel
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30 Minute Chicken Puttanesca
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts you can sub boneless chicken thighs as well
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion - halved and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic - chopped
- 1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup fresh basil - chopped - divided
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large skillet to medium high heat.
- Rinse and pat dry chicken. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken breasts to skillet. (it is not necessary to add additional olive oil to the pan). Let sear for 3-4 minutes. The chicken will release easily when you have reached a perfect sear. Turn chicken over and repeat.
- Remove chicken to plate and set aside. ( It will not be cooked through but will continue to cook in the sauce.)
- Add onion to pan and saute until translucent. About 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Nestle chicken breasts on top of sauce. Spooning a bit of the sauce on top as it simmers. Sprinkle cherry tomatoes and olives on top.
- Continue to simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
- Top with fresh basil, parmesan or feta if desired. Serve with a side of pasta or a fresh baguette.
Notes
Serve with grated parm or feta along side a simple salad and baguette if desired.
Nutrition
Megan says
Another amazing recipe! I have yet to cross one on your site that i was indifferent about or didn’t like! Thank you thank you thank you!!
Cherie Weinstein says
Very good! Loved the puttanesca for a twist on tomato sauce. Attractive to serve too! And if you’re serving for non-Whole 30 people you can put over pasta and add a hunk of toasty garlic bread, which I did for my husband. Also I took some of the leftover, shredded the chicken, added a bit more fire roasted tomato sauce, cracked an egg in the middle and made a great Shakshuka!
Kathi @ LaughingSpatula.com says
way to use it all Cherie! Love the Shakshuka idea..super clever! Thanks for the note!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
The perfect housewife, whipping this up for a last minute house guest! 🙂
Kathi Kirk says
Don’t forge your cute little apron! I always wanted one of those cute little aprons…..
Ginger says
This sounds so good and i want to make it soon but my family doesn’t like food that has too much tomato taste to it so i was wondering if there’s something i could door add to cut the tomato flavor down a bit?
Kathi Kirk says
Hi Ginger – Actually an authentic Puttanesca doesn’t have the crushed tomatoes. I just added that because we like saucy stuff. Simply leave out the can of tomatoes and cook the chicken in the fresh tomatoes and olives….you can add a little chicken stock if you want a sauce.
Judy says
I just received a new cast iron skillet for Christmas and this recipe looks perfect for it! I love crushed tomatoes and olives and onions. Can’t wait to try this recipe!