Chicken alla Puttanesca

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

• Chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Leg meat works great too. Bone-in cuts are fine, but keep in mind they’ll add at least 10 minutes to the cooking time. Chicken breasts work technically, but you’ll need to watch them like a hawk so they don’t dry out.
  • Variations: Turkey thigh meat, cut into bite-sized pieces, is another delicious choice here – just note that turkey takes a bit longer to simmer.
• Tomatoes.
  • Fresh tomatoes add great texture. Roma tomatoes (or plum tomatoes) are your best bet here because they’re meaty with fewer seeds and less juice. Cocktail or cherry tomatoes are another fantastic – though slightly pricier – option; their natural sweetness balances the sauce beautifully.
  • Canned tomatoes in their own juice form the base and body of the sauce. Here, I mean canned tomatoes with an ingredient list of just tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, and citric acid as a preservative. Pickled tomatoes made with vinegar and sugar won’t work, unfortunately.
• Anchovies. You’ll need small oil-packed or salt-cured anchovy fillets – not the dried snack-style fish from a bag! There isn’t really a direct sub for them here. But if you don’t have anchovies, simply leave them out. It’s a completely valid regional variation, and it still tastes great.
• Capers. Look for caper buds here, not the larger caper berries with stems. They have a very distinct flavor, so they can’t really be substituted with anything else.
• Olives. Use any pitted green olives that you personally find delicious.
• Onion. Standard yellow onion works 100% of the time. But if you want, you can definitely use red onion instead.
• Garlic. Fresh garlic is your best option here. Dried garlic just won’t give you that rich aroma you’re looking for.

Let’s start cooking!

Cut each thigh into 2-3 pieces. Slice the onion into half-rings. Cut the tomatoes into medium-sized pieces. Cut the olives into 2-3 pieces. Finely chop the basil, garlic, and anchovies.

Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a saucepan or frying pan over high heat. In several batches, brown the chicken on all sides until golden, about one minute per side. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the pan. Sauté, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté for an additional 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the crushed tomatoes and their juice, along with 200 ml of water or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then season with salt to taste.

Add the chicken to the sauce, bring it back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. 5 minutes before it’s done, add the olives, capers, anchovies, garlic, and basil to the saucepan.

Stir and adjust the flavor with sugar, if necessary.

Enjoy!

This Chicken alla Puttanesca recipe was checked, prepared and approved by Chef Tatyana Nazaruk - author of FlavorIt.com.
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