One-pot Italian chicken.
I grew up on creamy dishes, with them being served probably twice a week. Whether it be stroganoff or a chicken casserole, they nestled in nicely with the spaghetti bolognaise and a roast.
It seems that many of you, like me, continue this tradition, with comfort dishes — especially bakes — being very popular, so I’m sure you’ll love this one.
When I was asked to write a recipe for a one-pot Italian, my mind immediately went to Northern Italy, known for its cream, cheese and butter. I’d also long been thinking about how sun-dried tomatoes had dropped out a bit in cooking of late, so they had to go in as well as the royalty of Italian herbs, basil.
What I didn’t realise is that I’d developed a recipe uncannily similar to the future “marry me chicken”. I swear I did this one first!
Why we love this creamy one-pot Italian chicken recipe
This family-friendly one-pot chicken recipe is an all year rounder. Rich and creamy it hits the spot in the cooler months and with the summery tastes of tomatoes and basil it is sunny enough for the warmer times, especially if served with a crisp green salad.
Ready in under half an hour, our creamy chicken recipe is bang on for both ease and taste. It’s also versatile. Slice the chicken and toss with just-cooked pasta and a smattering of parmesan cheese for the perfect midweek dinner. For a change, you could also swap the chicken out and use pan-fried thick pork chops instead.
What do you need to make this one pot Italian chicken?
- Oil and butter: oil provides the medium for cooking the chicken with butter adding a good hit of flavour. Because we’re adding the butter, standard olive oil is fine. It doesn’t have to be a fruity extra virgin one.
- Chicken: chicken breasts are a great canvas for cooking. Take the suggestions from a few of our readers and slice them in half horizontally for even quicker cooking.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: a means of preserving summer’s tomato bounty, they have an intensely tomato taste. They are quite chewy as well which is why we slice them.
- Wine: because we’re using cream, we use white wine as the red gives an odd purple flavour. You don’t have to add it if you don’t want to - instead you can just deglaze the pan with water.
- Cream: I use thickened cream a lot in cooking as it simmers down to good consistency more quickly than pure cream. You could also use cream for cooking, which is more resistant to curdling.
- Stock: using just half a cup of chicken stock adds a bit more depth of flavour. It also means the sauce can simmer and absorb flavours for just a bit longer without the sauce becoming too thick.
- Spinach: baby spinach leaves cook quickly. Just stir them through the sauce until just wilted to retain colour and freshness.
- Basil: I’ve gone in hard with the basil, using a full cup. When buying, give the bunch a sniff. It should smell sweet and not of aniseed.
- Bread: choose a crusty woodfired bread and although it uses another pan I love drizzling slices of crusty bread with olive oil and char-grilling until golden.
- Step 1Heat the oil and butter in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat until butter is foamy. Season the chicken and add to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes each side to until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
- Step 2Place the garlic in the pan. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the tomatoes and stir to coat. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute or until reduced. Add the cream and stock. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced. Stir through the spinach until wilted. Season and sprinkle with the basil leaves. Serve with crusty bread.
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