Blow your socks off with Chicken Fra Diavolo

If I don’t have a sneezing fit while making Chicken Fra Diavolo, I know it’s not right. Chicken Fra Diavolo (Italian for “Devil monk”) is an easy weeknight meal that can be super spicy or mildly spicy, depending on your preferences.

All of our boys love this recipe, but it’s Middle Son’s favorite; we seldom have his birthday without a batch of “Chicken Fra” involved somehow.

If you see it on the weekly menu, assume “D” is home.

Bert isn’t a huge pasta fan, so he gets rice (which tastes wonderful too) but our go-to is usually rigatoni.  Zoodles work great too!

Although I adore my cast iron pans, this recipe is best not made in one. The metal in cast iron can react with the acid in the sauce and leach into the food, giving it an “off” taste.  My mother-in-law gave me this big covered saute pan (affiliate links follow – see disclaimer page for details) many, many years ago, and it is perfect for making this family favorite.

Prep chicken breasts: cut off any excess fat with your trusty santoku knife and cut into solid 1″ chunks. Oil your pan and toss in the chicken as it is cut.

Add your spices on top of the chicken as it cooks to make sure the flavors meld. Here is where I usually start sneezing…

I saute the chicken until it is almost completely cooked prior to adding the tomato sauce.

Buy the cheapest pasta sauce you can

We’re going to be adding so much flavor to it, it almost doesn’t matter what it tastes like at the start. Add it to the chicken once the chicken is seared all around and mostly cooked through.

Let the chicken and sauce bubble away over medium low heat for about 15 minutes. Once the chicken is cooked to at least 160 degrees using your Instant Read Meat Thermometer, add the secret ingredients: the cream and the mozzarella cheese. Add in some Parmesan too if you like!

Chicken Fra Diavolo

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Chicken Fra Diavolo is an easy recipe that bumps up store bought red sauce into a spicy taste treat that will blow your socks off! Fast pasta sauce fortified with sautéed chicken.

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Ingredients

• 4 medium Chicken Breasts, boneless/skinless
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Dried Basil
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, ground (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp Chicken Soup Base
• 24 oz jar Pre-made Marinara Sauce
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream, Light Cream or Half & Half
• 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Instructions

• Heat oil in very large skillet over medium high heat while cleaning and chopping chicken into 1" cubes. When oil is hot and shimmering, but not smoking, add chicken to skillet. Allow chicken to sear on bottom without disturbing it, for about 5 minutes.
  
• Sprinkle all spices over chicken and toss to coat, while continuing to cook. When chicken is browned on all sides, add chicken soup base, marinara sauce and about 3/4 of a cup of water (I swirl water in jar to make sure I get all the sauce) to chicken.
• When the mixture returns to a simmer, turn heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Use meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is at 160 degrees F or higher.
  
• Turn heat back up to medium high; remove lid and allow sauce to cook down for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add cream and mozzarella. Stir in well, until sauce is uniformly pink. 
  
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to taste, and serve immeditately over pasta, rice or zuchini noodles. 
  

THAT’S Chicken Fra!