Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce
Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce
Golden chicken pieces simmered in a bold puttanesca of milled tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, chili, olives and capers.
Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 50 minutes
What Is Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce?
Pasta's boldest sauce turned into a braise: chicken browned and simmered in a puttanesca of milled tomatoes, anchovy, garlic and chili, finished with sliced olives and capers.
Why Make Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce?
- Puttanesca's punch on a main-course braise
- Anchovies melt invisibly into savoury depth
- Olives and capers go in late and stay lively
- One skillet start to finish
- Bold flavour from pantry staples
Unico Products Used in This Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1.8 kg chicken (1 bird cut into 8 pieces, patted dry (4 lb))
- salt (to taste)
- 4 anchovy fillets (chopped)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 cups whole tomatoes (with juice, milled to remove seeds)
- red chili pepper (fresh chopped or dried flakes, to taste)
- 8 pitted black olives (thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp capers (rinsed)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet; add the chicken pieces without crowding and cook until golden on both sides, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a platter.
- Discard half the oil from the skillet.
- Add the anchovies and garlic and stir quickly without burning the garlic.
- Add the milled tomatoes and bring to a gentle boil; season with salt and chili pepper.
- Return the chicken to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally.
- Add the olives and capers and simmer 5-10 minutes longer; if the sauce is thin, remove the chicken and boil the sauce down. Taste, adjust and serve.
Cooking Tips
- Brown the chicken in batches — crowding steams it
- Don't let the garlic colour past golden
- Mill the tomatoes for a smooth, clingy sauce
- Add olives and capers in the last 10 minutes
- Reduce the sauce at the end if it needs body
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce
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1. What is puttanesca sauce?
A boldly flavoured Neapolitan tomato sauce of anchovies, garlic, chili, olives and capers.
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2. Will it taste fishy from the anchovies?
No — they dissolve into the oil and read as savoury depth, not fish.
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3. Can I make it spicier?
Add more fresh chili or flakes with the tomatoes — puttanesca takes heat well.
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4. What should I serve it with?
Crusty bread, spaghetti or polenta to carry the sauce.
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5. How do I store leftovers?
Refrigerate up to 3 days; like most braises it improves overnight.
Cooking Guides & Tips
- How to Cook with Olives: Tapenade, Puttanesca and Beyond Beyond snacking — how to turn olives into tapenade, puttanesca and other big-flavour dishes.
- Quick One-Pan Meals with Tomatoes and Olive Oil One pan, canned tomatoes, olive oil and whatever vegetable or protein you have on hand — dinner with almost no cleanup.
- How to Cook with Anchovies (Even If You Think You Don't Like Them) Why anchovies make food taste better, not fishy — and how to use them to add savoury depth to sauces, dressings and vegetables.
Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce Made Simple
Chicken Stew with Puttanesca Sauce gives the famous sauce a main course worthy of it. Unico tomatoes, anchovies, olives and capers supply all the attitude.