Italian Chicken and Peppers
This one-pan meal features tender, pan-seared chicken, nestled over onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and baked under a canopy of stretchy cheese. Top it off with some hot Calabrese peppers and this incredible dinner is ready in about 30 minutes.
This one-pan meal is crammed with flavor and color. That’s thanks to the sautéed vegetables, hint of garlic, good-quality olive oil, and hot peppers. When the ingredients you use are fresh, colorful and flavorful, you need very few of them.
I chose Bono extra virgin olive oil for its superior flavor. Bono extra virgin olive oil from Sicily is100% Italian, organic, and certified PGI Sicilia and P.D.O Val di Mazara. The flavor is outstanding. I also used Bono hot calabrese chili peppers which add great flavor and color to the dish. As you may be able to tell from the almost-empty jar of peppers, we love it in my house! My kids put the peppers on their eggs every morning over break.
I used chicken breasts, but thighs work too. I actually used thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breasts for this dish. You can also use Italian-style chicken breasts and halve them to create two pieces. And if you want to use chicken thighs, use boneless skinless thighs and add 5 minutes to the cooking time in the oven. All chicken should cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
How should you serve your chicken and peppers? I suggest serving the chicken and peppers with pasta (such as spaghetti, linguine, angel hair), or fluffy rice. Add a side salad to round out the meal.
One Pan Italian Chicken and Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts, or two regular chicken breasts halved through the middle to create 4 thin filets
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 small yellow or red onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups button or cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, or mozzarella
- 1-2 tablespoons Bono hot Calabrese chili peppers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Season both sides of the chicken with salt and black pepper
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and stir to combine.
- Nestle the chicken on top of the vegetables and drizzle over any juices from the plate. Sprinkle the paprika over the chicken.
- Top the chicken with the cheese and bake for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the chicken is cooked through (165 degrees).
- Top the chicken with the hot peppers and serve.