Easy Skillet Pepperoncini Chicken

If you’re looking for a creamy, flavorful dinner recipe, this pepperoncini chicken is going to be your new favorite!

You will love how quickly this chicken recipe comes together with all its tangy, spicy, creamy goodness.

For most of my life, we’ve used pepperonciinis for one thing, and one thing only: slow cooker Italian beef. And it’s sooooo good, but I never really thought about using these delicious little pickled peppers for anything else.

And then I found pepperoncini chicken. Chicken is so good at taking on the flavor of what you cook it in, and in this case, it’s tangy peppers and a creamy sauce made with onions, garlic, herbs, and parmesan.

My favorite way to serve this is over rice because I love the way the sauce mixes in and creates a complete, amalgamated dinner dish.

Ingredients for Pepperoncini Chicken

First, let’s talk about the chicken. I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this, OR boneless, skinless thighs. Either one works really well. The thighs are a little more tender and juicy, which my family prefers.

Next, we have all the things that flavor our chicken and make it delicious.

• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Red bell peppers
• Onion
• Garlic
• Chicken broth
• Cream
• Parmesan cheese
• Basil
• Oregano
• Pickled pepperoncini peppers. I like to use sliced peppers here. You can get mild or spicy peppers as well, depending on your preference.

You can also use rice or mashed potatoes to serve with the chicken.

How to Make pepperoncini Chicken

1. Use chicken tenders, or cut your chicken breasts/thighs into 1-inch thick and about 1-1 1/2 inch wide strips.
   
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until it sizzles when a drop of water hits it, and add chicken.
3. Season heavily with salt and pepper
4. Cook chicken on first side for 4-6 minutes, until nicely browned, then flip, and cook 4-6 minutes again. Chicken should be 165ºF in the center.
5. Remove chicken from skillet, and add a second tablespoon of oil
6. Add red bell peppers and onions to skillet, and stir-fry until crisp-tender
   
7. Add garlic and all herbs and stir-fry for another 60 seconds
8. Stir in chicken broth and undrained pepperoncinis
   
9. Heat, stirring with a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to “deglaze it.”
10. When the mixture is hot enough, begin to simmer, turn downthe  heat to low, and add cream parmesan cheese
    
11. Stir until cheese is melted and combined
12. Add chicken and heat through
13. Serve as desired. I recommend it with rice or mashed potatoes. We like this spinach mashed potato recipe!

Recipe substitutions

Stove-top recipes are pretty easy to make changes to accommodate your preferences, although, at some point, you lose the original intent of the recipe.

Some easy substations you may want to make:

Swapping peppers. Whether for a different kind (such as green bell or poblano) or to leave them out. You will lose some flavor, obviously, but sometimes it’s not worth convincing your kids to eat it. I get it.

Herbs. In this recipe, I’ve used oregano and basil. You can use your preferred herbs, such as Italian seasoning. I think rosemary and/or thyme would be a nice addition if you prefer that.

Chicken. Turkey can also be used.

Broth. You can use a bouillon cube with water or broth powder and water if you like. Or, if you don’t have any of these things on hand, just use water and perhaps add a bit extra salt.

Cream. Half and half can be used, or to keep it dairy-free, coconut cream. Either of those will change the richness and flavor, but if you’re cooking dairy-free, you probably already know all about that.

Parmesan. This can also be skipped to keep it dairy-free. Obviously, you’ll be losing out a lot of flavor. If you’re just looking to use a cheese you have on hand and don’t have parmesan, I would use a hard cheese, like cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a semi-hard like Colby. Anything that will incorporate well. I’d stay away from mozzarella, though.

What to do with leftovers

If you have leftovers, let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container – chicken, peppers, sauce, and all. store in the refrigerator for up to a week. I like these glass containers. With these, you can remove the lid then stick the whole thing in the microwave or oven to reheat.

I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, but I don’t know that I’d recommend it as I think the cream would separate. If you wanted to make it specifically as a freezer meal, you could just omit the cream and cheese then add it later when you heat the meal.

Other recipes you’ll enjoy:

• Coconut Lime Chicken
• Chicken Meatballs Soup
• Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs
• Shredded Chicken Tacos
• Simple Baked Chicken Piccata

Print