Every week I prepare a one-pan chicken skillet dinner, leaning on flavors my family loves like garlic butter, French onion, and harissa orange. This week I served a creamy Italian chicken dinner inspired by a jar of pepperoncini peppers. The briny, slightly spicy flavor of pepperoncini is the perfect way to highlight a light, silky Parmesan cream sauce and golden strips of tender chicken. The best part is that the whole meal comes together in just 30 minutes. Here’s how to make it.
Why You’ll Love It
- This skillet chicken dinner packs in a ton of flavor—tangy, spicy, savory, creamy—with just a few ingredients. The special ingredient that makes this a stand-out dish is jarred pepperoncini peppers.
- Because slices of chicken cook so quickly, it takes just 30 minutes to make this Italian-inspired dish.
Key Ingredients in Creamy Pepperoncini Chicken
- Chicken: Browning slices of boneless, skinless chicken breasts adds more flavor to every bite. And because the chicken starts in smaller pieces, this skillet dinner cooks quickly.
- Pepperoncini peppers: These bright yellow-green peppers come whole or sliced and have a briny, medium spicy flavor. Don’t confuse pepperoncini peppers with banana peppers, which are similar in color, but milder in flavor.
- Bell pepper: Cut up a red bell pepper to add color and crisp-tender crunch to this skillet dinner.
- Parmesan cheese: Buy a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grate on the small holes of a box grater or pick up pre-grated cheese from the deli section of the grocery store for the best flavor.
- Heavy cream: Mix heavy cream with chicken broth to give this skillet dinner a creamy—but not heavy—sauce for the chicken, pepperoncini, and bell pepper.
Creamy Pepperoncini Chicken
Serves 4- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 10 whole or 1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup freshly grated or 1/3 cup store-bought), plus more for serving
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3)
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
2. Cut 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place in a large bowl, add 3/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and toss to coat.
