Chicken Puttanesca

Submitted by MarieRynr

"This lovely, gutsy sauce goes wonderful with chicken that has been sauteed first, then gently simmered in the sauce to absorb all the flavours. No need to miss out on the pasta either, as green tagliatelle is the perfect accompaniment! Recipe courtesy of The Delia Collection: Chicken. We love this!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 part-boned chicken breasts, skin on (about 8 oz each)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 fresh red chile, deseeded and finely chopped
• 14 ounces tinned italian chopped tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 6 ounces pitted black olives, roughly chopped
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, plus a few extra sprigs,to garnish
• 12 ounces dried spinach tagliatelle pasta noodles, to serve
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. Begin by heating the oil in the frying pan until it's very hot.
2. Wipe the chicken breasts with paper towel, then season them with salt and pepper.
3. Saute them in the hot oil over a medium heat until they are a rich golden colour n both sides.
4. This will take 5 or 6 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate and add the garlic and chilli to the pan and fry these briefly for about 30 seconds.
6. After that, add the tomatoes, tomato puree, olives, capers, chopped basil and some seasoning.
7. Stir everything well, bringing it up to a gentle simmer, then return the chicken breasts to the pan, skin side up, pushing them well down into the sauce and basting a little over the top.
8. Simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, uncovered, until the chicken has cooked and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
9. About 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, put a large pan of salted water on to heat and bring it up to the boil.
10. Then boil the tagliatelle according to the package directions.
11. After that, quickly drain and serve with the chicken, sauce spooned over, tagliatelle on the side.
12. Garnish with the fresh sprigs of basil and enjoy!

Reviews

[MizzNezz]

To keep the sauce from being too thin, I defrosted and sponged up the moisture on the chicken breasts. I cut them in quarters and then put all the sauce ingredients in the crockpot before adding the chicken. I cooked on high for 4 hours. This is fabulous! Delicious sauce, as good as it gets! I highly recommend this recipe. Thanks for sharing Marie Alice!

 

[OB Nurse]

Somehow when I added a comment, my first review was deleted. This chicken is sooo wonderful. The red chili adds a "bite" while the basil adds a sweetness, a very good combination! I did not have capers so omitted them. I served it over egg noodles, which my family prefers--you know teenage boys and spinach don't always go together. Made this again several nights ago, but doubled the sauce ingredients after removing the chicken from the pan. Then before adding the chicken back, I removed half the sauce. I made lasagna with it and it was fantastic! My husband says it was the best lasagna I've ever made--and I've used alot of recipes. Made for the third time, but used a crockpot and used direct from the freezer boneless, skinless breasts without browing them first. I combined all the other ingredients and added them to the crockpot first, then the frozen chicken. The flavor was the same, but chicken was more tender. It was a thinner sauce, so maybe adding more tomato puree or tomato paste would be helpful if using a crockpot. I cooked it on high for 4 hours. The times are right on for prep, it is quick, easy, and delicious! This is now one of my favorite 3 recipes from zaar!

 

[ImACookingDiva]

We REALLY loved this Italian specialty! What a great change of pace for us. My DH complimented me between mouthfuls and told me how good it was. That's a huge effort for him, as not much really tickles his fancy very often! I am happy to say we will be having this again! Thank you for sharing!

 

[MeganMuffins]

I served with egg noodles and we really loved it. DH wants it again next week as a matter of fact! Thanks to you, my dinner really impressed the family, and I thank you!

 

[erobbins4]

Wonderful and very tasty dish. I used 2 large, skin-less, bone-in chicken breasts. I browned them quickly in the oil then added the remaining ingredients. I did hold the basil until the end when I stirred it in just before serving. Also, I didn't have a chile, so I used a couple shakes of red chile flakes. I used Kalamata olives and did add the capers. I served over bow tie pasta. The sauce is full of flavor. You won't even notice how low fat it is. With 2 oz of pasta, half a chicken breast and 1/4 of the sauce the dish comes to 9 WW points.