Chicken Thighs Marinara
Fork-tender chicken, covered in herbs, pan-seared until golden and then braised in a garlicky, white wine-infused tomato sauce. Once everything is topped with a blanket of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, this sensational dinner is ready!
You need handful of ingredients for an unbelievably delicious dish. And most are pantry staples! We use Italian herb seasoning and onion powder on the chicken before it’s pan-seared. Then, we braise the chicken in white wine and tomato sauce. It’s also easy to make swaps in this recipe! For example, you can use any dried herb instead of the Italian seasoning (such as oregano, basil, and parsley). You can swap chicken broth in for wine. And you can use crushed, puréed, or diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.
I used chicken thighs, but chicken breasts work too. I love how buttery soft chicken thighs get after braising for 20 minutes. That said, you can certainly use chicken breasts instead. And if you want to use bone-in chicken, simply add a few minutes to the cooking time.
Feel free to make this dish spicy! It’s easy to adjust the heat level in this dish. I used about 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, but you can use more/less to suit your tastes. You can also serve additional crushed red pepper on the side.
What should you serve with your chicken thighs? I suggest a fresh green salad, and chunk of bread on the side! You can also stretch the meal by serving the chicken and sauce over rice, couscous, pasta, or your favorite grain.
Chicken Thighs Marinara
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 4 chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, or chicken broth
- 15- ounce can tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped parsley, basil, or arugula for garnish (I love the pepperiness of arugula here!)
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken thighs with the Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the same pan over medium heat. Cook for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the wine and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine reduces by half. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a simmer.
- Return the chicken to the pan with any accumulated juices. Return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. Top with the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses and remove the pan from the heat.
- If desired, place the pan under the broiler to brown the cheese.
- Top with parsley, basil, or arugula, if using, and serve.