Chicken Arrabbiata

$7.82 recipe / $1.30 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.57 from 23 votes
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(a.k.a. ANGRY BIRDS) I got an email a while back from a reader who wanted to know how to make arrabbiata sauce, so I set out to find out how to do so. I found that it’s actually pretty much the same as the red sauce in my Spicy Tomato & Shrimp Pasta, which is super easy and delish. The concept is simple: tomatoes + garlic + spicy red peppers = YUM. I wanted to do a chicken version to give the sauce more flavor and depth, but I also can’t wait to try a vegetarian version with sautéed eggplant.

Chicken Arrabbiata

Top view of a pan of chicken arrabbiata

What is Arrabbiata Sauce?

Arrabbiata is a spicy red Italian sauce, usually served with pasta. I decided to serve my arrabbiata sauce with chicken, which definitely isn’t traditional, but when a sauce is this good you kind of want to put it on everything. Arrabbiata translates to “angry,” so this is angry chicken… or angry birds! Ha! Anyway, I digress. If you want to check out an authentic arrabbiata sauce, take a look at this authentic arrabbiata sauce recipe from Ciao Florentina.

What Kind of Chicken Should You Use?

I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, but you could probably use chicken breasts instead (they will provide slightly less depth of flavor than the bone-in kind, but still be yum). If using breasts, I would suggest pounding them out which will make this whole dish cook much faster. The bone-in thighs that I used require more cooking time because they are thick and take longer to heat through.

So, let’s play some angry birds, shall we?

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Chicken Arrabbiata

4.57 from 23 votes
Chicken Arrabbiata is a simple dish with a rich, flavorful, and SPICY red sauce. Serve over pasta or rice. 
A saucepan of chicken arrabbiata pasta with herbs.
Servings 6
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
  • 6 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2.5 lbs. total) ($3.99)
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper ($0.05)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ($0.08)
  • 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
  • 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.69)
  • 1 15oz. can crushed tomatoes ($0.69)
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.03)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth ($0.07)
  • 1 handful fresh parsley (optional) ($0.14)
  • 12 oz. pasta for serving ($1.41)

Instructions 

  • Season the chicken thighs with a pinch of salt and pepper, then dredge each piece in flour until they are lightly coated.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot (it will sizzle if a pinch of flour is dropped into the oil), add the chicken. Brown the chicken on both sides (5-7 minutes each side), then remove the chicken from the skillet. While the chicken is browning, mince the garlic.
  • After the chicken is removed from the skillet, add the minced garlic and sauté briefly (1-2 minutes, or just until the garlic is soft, but not brown). Add both cans of tomatoes with juices, basil, crushed red pepper, and chicken broth to the skillet. Stir to combine.
  • Return the chicken to the skillet with the sauce, and spoon some sauce over top of each piece. Allow the sauce to come up to a simmer. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for 30 minutes, turning the chicken over half way through to make sure both sides receive adequate heat.
  • Serve the chicken and sauce over cooked pasta and garnish with roughly chopped parsley.

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Notes

Make sure your skillet is big enough to house six chicken thighs. If not, reduce the chicken to four pieces, but keep the rest of the ingredients the same and you’ll just have extra of the delicious sauce for each of the four servings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 728.6kcalCarbohydrates: 50.25gProtein: 52gFat: 34.25gSodium: 967.65mgFiber: 4.87g
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Chicken Arrabbiata over a bowl of noodles with a fork

Step by Step Photos

Package of Chicken Thighs

I made six chicken thighs, which may have been a bit ambitious. I had to use my largest skillet. If you don’t have a skillet large enough to hold six chicken thighs at once, just make four, but keep the sauce ingredients the same.

seasoned chicken thighs

Season each piece of chicken with a little salt and pepper, then dip the chicken into a shallow bowl of flour to coat it lightly. The light coating of flour will caramelize in the skillet and give a lot of flavor to the sauce and help keep it thick and rich.

Browning Chicken in pan

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken. You can test to see if the oil is hot enough by dropping a pinch of the flour into the skillet. If it sizzles, it’s ready. Brown the chicken on both sides (5-7 minutes on each side). If the chicken sticks to the bottom of the skillet, it’s okay. When it gets to the right stage of “brown” it usually loosens and releases from the skillet. If little pieces stick, it’s okay because that will just add more flavor to the sauce. After the chicken is browned, remove it from the skillet onto a clean plate.

Saute Garlic in pan

While the chicken is browning, mince four cloves of garlic. After the chicken is browned and removed from the skillet, add the minced garlic, and sauté it just for a minute or so to soften it up.

One can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes

Next, add the two cans of tomatoes. I used one can of crushed and one can of diced for a little more texture. Crushed tomatoes are fairly smooth in texture (not quite as smooth as sauce, but no large chunks). 

seasoning and tomatoes added to garlic in pan

Also add 1/2 tsp dried basil, 1/4 tsp (or more) of crushed red pepper, and a half cup of chicken broth. I only added the chicken broth because I knew the sauce would be simmering for a while and it would need just a touch more moisture to keep from drying up too much. If you don’t have chicken broth, don’t fret. You can use water or even white wine if you have it (I used Better Than Bouillon brand broth base to mix up just 1/2 cup).

Cooked chicken added to sauce in pan

After you stir the sauce together, add the chicken back to the skillet and spoon some sauce over top. Let the sauce come up to a simmer. Simmer the chicken in the sauce for about 30 minutes, flipping the chicken half way through. If you have a lid for your skillet, you can probably cook for a shorter amount of time and not have to flip the chicken because the heat will be well contained in the skillet and come from all sides. You probably also will not need that extra 1/2 cup of liquid/broth.

Pan of cooked Chicken Arrabbiata garnished with parsley

When it’s finished, the sauce will be thick and rich (I couldn’t stop eating the sauce off the spoon!). You can garnish with a handful of chopped parsley, if desired.

Top view of a pan of Chicken Arrabbiata, a colander of cooked noodles and a bowl of chicken over noodles ready to eat

This can be served over pasta or rice – anything to soak up that wonderful, angry, sauce! 

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Comments

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  1. made this tonight. it was FANTASTIC! did 4 thighs instead of 6 (could’ve fit 6, but only had 4. use what ya got, right?). Also had a lid, so I omitted the broth. made it even cheaper. oh, and I added a whole lot more hot pepper (as in, quadrupled it) :)

    really, a fantastic recipe. thanks once again!

  2. Another winner at our house. I have a VERY PICKY six year old who will forgo eating if he doesn’t like what we have. (I know other parents can relate!) He loves this!! I make it without any of the pepper and with pasta and he LOVES it. He eats the chicken, he eats the pasta, he asks for THIRDS!!
    Thank you!!!

  3. I thought this was going to be very spicy, but it wasn’t at all. I couldn’t taste the red pepper flakes whatsoever! If I make this again, I’ll be adding more spice (since the recipe does say “to taste”!).

    Otherwise, a yummy, tomatoey meal! I served it over rice instead of noodles

  4. Another winner! My hubby is a very happy man, and has already called dibs on the leftovers.

  5. I adjusted this a bit, using coarsely diced boneless chicken breasts and just dumping two cans of diced tomato in rather than taking the chicken out and putting it back in. Rave reviews. Thank you. This recipe is in the “keep” file.

  6. This was SO good. I used chicken breasts and added in a few chopped up yukon gold potatoes, mushrooms and a green pepper. Simmered everything for about an extra half hour, and served over shells. I’m definitely going to be making this dish forever.

  7. Looks good, I’m just glad to see you shop at Rouses. When I lived in Thibodaux growing up we would go there all the time. I live in Baton Rouge now and we don’t have one here :(

  8. Made this tonight with drumsticks, thighs and a breast, simmered extra long and shredded and deboned the meat. Served over linguine with salad. Amazing. Thank you!

  9. Do 6 chicken thighs really weigh 2.5 lbs? I thought an average thigh was only around 4 oz.

    1. Mine did (you can see it on the package sticker if you look close), but like any product I’m sure they vary from piece to piece, chicken to chicken. Also, maybe it’s the difference between bone and and boneless thighs?

      1. Our package only contained four at 2.5 pounds! So we’ve kind of shredded the meat off them (post cooking) to stretch into more meals…

  10. Would chicken wings or drummettes work? My dad isn’t a big fan of chicken thighs.

    1. Hmm, not sure about that. They really don’t have much meat on them. I’ve never tried to cook them in this sort of dish.

  11. YUM! This looks like a good change of pace from our usual meals… thanks for the recipe!!

  12. Looks v. tasty. I used to make a canned tomato sauce with chicken thighs that had carrot and fresh ginger in it. It was so delicious, but I have lost the recipe. Served over mashed potatoes, it was so warming and comforting in the winter.

    1. Think it would work fine, but would take up more room in the pan. Why not chop the legs off at the thigh?