This is one of those dishes where a handful of the simplest of ingredients come together and create a beautiful, fresh-tasting meal that’s worthy of a great Italian restaurant. In just one skillet, tender chicken breasts are gently simmered in an easy homemade tomato sauce. This meal requires only a few minutes of prep, and it’s on the table in about a half hour.
An easy and flavourful skillet tomato sauce.
The tomatoes in this recipe account for a lot of the flavour, so if possible, I recommend using canned San Marzano tomatoes since they’re less acidic than other varieties and have a sweet, vibrant flavour. If you can’t find San Marzano tomatoes, this recipe is also great
with any variety of canned whole tomatoes. Taste the sauce before serving and add a very small pinch of sugar if you find it to be too tart.
The San Marzano Pomodoro sauce is also great served over pasta or polenta. Roasted zucchini makes a perfect side dish, along with some crusty bread to sop up any sauce.
Easy Chicken Pomodoro Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1¼ tsp salt divided
- ¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1-3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup water
- 1 can (796 mL) San Marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 2 Roma tomatoes diced
- 8-10 basil leaves thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Place one chicken breast on cutting board. Holding knife blade parallel to board and starting at thickest long side, slice horizontally to make two thin cutlets. Repeat with remaining chicken.
- Sandwich chicken between plastic wrap; using meat mallet or heavy-bottomed saucepan, pound to ½ in (1 cm) thickness. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and ½ tsp of the pepper.
- In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. (Chicken does not need to be cooked through.) Remove to a plate. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add garlic to pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in water, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add canned tomatoes with juices, breaking up tomatoes with your hands as you add them. Stir in sugar, basil and oregano. Return chicken to pan, flipping to coat with sauce.
- Cover and cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked through, 11 to 14 minutes. Remove chicken from sauce and let rest for 5 minutes.
- While chicken is resting, stir in Roma tomatoes and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ tsp each salt and pepper or to taste. Serve the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with fresh basil. (See note #2.)
Notes
- Nilsson recommends using San Marzano tomatoes—they’re less acidic than other varieties as well as being both sweet and vibrant. If you don’t have San Marzano tomatoes, use canned whole tomatoes, and add a small pinch of sugar if you find the sauce tart.
- Serve the sauce over pasta or polenta or with roasted zucchini.
