Description
Bright, tangy, and ready in about 30 minutes, this skillet dinner pairs tender chicken with briny pepperoncinis and a silky parmesan-cream sauce. Serve it over rice, pasta, or vegetables for a fast, satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
- 2 pounds chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into thin strips
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of oregano, basil, and thyme)
- ½ cup pepperoncini, drained and sliced (rings or halves, as you prefer)
Optional swaps:
- Use coconut cream in place of heavy cream for a dairy-free version.
- Swap chicken stock for vegetable broth and use plant-based chicken alternatives to make this vegetarian.
- Choose mild or hot pepperoncinis depending on how spicy you want the dish.
Instructions
- Season and slice the chicken. Trim and cut the chicken into thin strips, then toss with salt and pepper so every piece is lightly seasoned.
- Brown the meat. Heat the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken strips and sear until they develop golden color on both sides — about 6–8 minutes. They don’t need to be fully cooked through yet. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Cook the aromatics. In the same pan, add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until the onion softens and turns translucent and slightly caramelized (about 4–5 minutes), scraping up any browned bits from the bottom as you go.
- Build the sauce base. Pour in the chicken broth and stir in the roasted red peppers. Let the liquid simmer until reduced by about half — this concentrates flavor and lifts all those browned bits into the sauce (roughly 4–5 minutes).
- Enrich the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat for a moment and whisk in the heavy cream and grated Parmesan until smooth. Return the pan to medium heat and gently warm the sauce. Keep stirring so the cheese fully melts and the sauce becomes silky.
- Finish cooking. Stir in the Italian seasoning and the pepperoncini. Return the seared chicken to the skillet and simmer briefly until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the sauce thickens to your liking. If the sauce gets too thick, loosen it with a splash more broth.
- Serve. Remove from heat and spoon the chicken and sauce over rice, pasta, or roasted vegetables. Garnish with extra Parmesan or chopped parsley if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Freshly grated Parmesan melts best and gives the smoothest sauce. Pre-grated varieties can make the sauce grainy.
- Adjust heat by adding more or fewer pepperoncinis, or toss in a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra kick.
- For a lighter sauce, substitute half-and-half or reduce the cream. If using Greek yogurt, remove from heat before stirring it in to prevent curdling.
- If the sauce separates, whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter or a little broth off the heat to help it come back together.