One-skillet creamy garlic red pepper chicken. This juicy pan-fried chicken with sun-dried tomatoes and bell peppers in a creamy garlic sauce is simply amazing.
The flavorful sauce infuses every single bite of this fail-proof dinner. It’s made ultra creamy with Parmesan and jazzed up with crispy pancetta. All ingredients match perfectly with each other, it’s finger-licking good.
Chicken fillets get meltingly tender and juicy thanks to a simmer in this creamy sauce. It’s surprisingly easy to make on weeknights and super delicious to feel extra special.
This recipe bursts with a variety of flavors, from salty Parmesan to sweet bell pepper and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s ultra creamy with a hint of spice from the pepper flakes. Garlic, onion, white wine and cream swirl together to make an ultra-savory sauce that pairs perfectly with juicy chicken. It will leave you craving for more!
Grab some crusty bread to mop up all of those gorgeous flavors, and let’s get cooking. It’s a super hearty and versatile recipe you’ll want to add to your regular dinner rotations.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step video.
What to serve with creamy red pepper chicken?
Here are a few things to make it a meal:
- crusty bread and a big lettuce salad
- creamy cucumber salad
- pasta, mashed potatoes, or polenta
- roasted veggies like cauliflower or broccoli
- fries
- baked sweet potatoes
- rice
RECIPE NOTES
- swap chicken for steak, pork tenderloin or shrimp
- add extra veggies like eggplant, zucchini, spinach or kale
- chicken thighs also work well here
- if you want to decrease the cooking time, slice the chicken fillets horizontally to create thin cutlets. Then sauté them to golden brown
- make this dish vegetarian by adding cauliflower or potatoes instead of chicken
- use heavy cream, half-and-half or cooking cream
- swap parsley for fresh basil or oregano
More one-pan dinners, please!
Creamy Garlic Red Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces pancetta
- 2 chicken fillets large
- 1 red bell pepper cut into thin slices
- 2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup white wine preferably Pinot Grigio
- ¾ cup cream 20% fat
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 ounce grated Parmesan
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet set over medium low. Add pancetta, cook until crisp and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from skillet, leaving as much grease as possible in the skillet.
- Season the chicken with salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.
- Melt butter in the same skillet, add chicken and cook over medium high heat, about 8-10 minutes per side or until fully cooked and browned on both sides. This can vary with the size of your chicken. Remove from skillet and place on a clean plate. Cover with foil.
- Lower the heat. Add garlic and onion, sauté until soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Deglaze the skillet with white wine. Stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Sauté for 5 minutes more. Pour in chicken broth and add tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Add cream and Parmesan, stir to combine. Transfer chicken back into the skillet. Simmer for 3-5 minutes or until heated through. Taste and adjust salt and black pepper.
- Finish off with parsley and pancetta. Top with crushed pepper flakes, serve with some crusty bread and a simple side salad. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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LOOOVE this dish! Made it twice already this week.
Thank you!
Fantastic, love hearing that! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Everyone loved this meal! Amazing. Thank you so much for amazing recipe. Will be making again!!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed!
I searched for chicken and bell pepper recipe and this is what popped up. I had all the ingredients so I gave it a little try. Everyone loved it and it’s going in the family recipe book so I don’t forget. We served with rice and if I wasn’t so full, I’d have some more.
Thank you Lizzy! So glad you enjoyed!
Great recipe to use that last bell pepper hanging around the fridge. Vibrant and filling, will definitely make again.
Thanks Sara!
This was perfect. So flavorful. So fun.
Glad you enjoyed Nina!
This was a hit in my household! Prepped the garlic, onions and bell peppers and the rest was pretty simple. Even managed to do this one while feeding my 10 month old.
It makes me so happy to hear that!
I came across this dish when deciding on what to make for dinner and I’m so happy I decided to make it! This was an absolutely delicious dish and the whole family loved it! Will definitely be making again!
Thank you Meagan!
It was okay! The flavor was a little lacking, and I think part of my issue is that I did not add enough sundried tomatoes. Additionally, I could see this being really good with red pepper flakes cooked into it. Next time will do that and add more oregano and thyme. I used chicken cutlets which turned out great. I love a dish with a good sauce and this definitely has the makings of that. So if you are looking for more sauce, you could probably add more tomato paste, broth, and wine. This was great with a crusty bread.
Thanks for making Lizzy!
Super delicious!
Thank you Reiner! Makes me so happy to hear that!