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Chicken Arrabbiata

By Connie Veneracion
What is arrabbiata? It’s a spicy Italian tomato sauce. So, yes, this chicken arrabbiata packs a bit of heat but without overwhelming. Non-traditional ingredients olives and capers add delightful boldness to the flavor of the sauce.
How to Cook Chicken Arrabbiata
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Spicy, Tomato Sauce
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 2 people
Author Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

  • ½ kilo chicken drumsticks or thighs or a combination
  • salt
  • pepper
  • ¼ cup flour

Arrabbiata sauce

  • olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons garlic minced
  • ¼ cup onion finely chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
  • pinch oregano dried
  • 2 tablespoons sliced black olives drained
  • 1 tablespoon capers drained
  • 1 and 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
  • salt
  • pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

To garnish

  • chopped parsley

Instructions 

Brown the chicken

  • Preheat the oven to 475F.
  • Wipe the chicken with paper towels. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Mix well working the salt and pepper into the meat.
  • Line a baking pan with non-stick paper. Spray or brush the paper lightly with oil.
  • Dredge each piece of chicken in flour (make sure to coat completely) and arrange on the prepared tray.
  • Drizzle each piece of chicken with about half a teaspoon of olive oil.
  • Brown the chicken at 475F for 20 minutes.

Make the arrabbiata sauce

  • Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic, onion, chili flakes and oregano. Saute until fragrant.
  • Throw in the olives and capers. Cook for another minute.
  • Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and a little sugar. How much salt pepper and sugar? To taste. Simmer, covered, until reduced by a quarter, about 10 minutes.

Braise the browned chicken in arrabbiata sauce

  • Take the browned chicken out of the oven and add to the sauce.
  • Simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is done and the sauce is very thick.

Serve the chicken arrabbiata

  • Arrange the chicken pieces on a plate.
  • Drizzle the remaining sauce over them.
  • Sprinkle with parsley.
  • Serve the chicken arrabbiata with rice, pasta or bread.

Connie’s Notes

Why brown the chicken in the oven instead of the stovetop? No particular reason except that it was humid on the day I cooked chicken arrabbiata, and the thought of minding two pans on the stove wasn’t a particularly pleasant thought. By browning the chicken in the oven, I was able to step back from the kitchen while the arrabbiata sauce reduced.
You can choose to brown the chicken on a frying pan, of course. Pour off the oil, make the sauce in the same pan then add the browned chicken when the sauce is ready.
Chicken Arrabbiata in a Platter
Updated from a recipe originally published in June 25, 2016
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