Name: Puttanesca Sauce with Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian, Spanish, American
Ingredients: 4 to 6 boneless chicken breast; 1/4 cup olive oil; 6 cloves minced garlic; 2 pounds of fresh plum tomatoes put through the food processor (remove stems first and cut off the tops, add whole) or 2 (28-ounce) cans Roma plum tomatoes, broken into pieces, with juice; 1 cup tightly packed, pitted, and halved Kalamata olives, or use black olives; 2 tablespoons drained capers; 2 tablespoons minced anchovy fillets (about 8 fillets) or use anchovy paste around 4 ounces; 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil or fresh leaves one of two; 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes; 1/4 cup white wine; a handful of fresh parsley; Garnish with Pecorino Romano long shredded grated cheese; Optional for the sauce: mushroom or green bell pepper sliced and cleaned; 1 lb of spaghetti cooked to package instructions al dente'

Puttanesca Sauce is a blend of delicious flavors in a tomato sauce and anyone who speaks Italian knows Puttana in Italian means prostitute, or lady of the night!

Despite the name, this is a very popular tomato sauce recipe with spaghetti in Italy and abroad calling it spaghetti all puttanesca.

With chicken on the plate, this dish is certainly changed this popular sauce into a heartier meal however, will omit being called authentic in any way but the sauce is really tasty on more than just pasta.

Chicken is never served on the same plate with pasta and only served in another dish alone so we usually have it as a side dish in another serving bowl.

We have always loved chicken with Italian meat sauce on top, and during the depression days, instead of beef or meatballs, Grandma used chicken in our Sunday sugo (they were raised in the yards where she lived when Grandma was a small child in Rome, Italy).

Over the years the recipe was adapted with flavors and sometimes we would add peppers, mushrooms, and onions to the sauce for a nice change in flavors it was also terrific on pizza.

Regardless, you can adapt the original style recipe without all the additions and not even make this with chicken which is not Authentic in any way.

This sauce is usually prepared and placed over a dish of macaroni preferably spaghetti.

Some History

Since there are so many stories about where this dish originated the recipe we use as I mentioned is adapted by my Grandma and in a more Roman style.

It is written that the original recipe is from Naples which is the capital of Campania and they never included anchovies eventually we would leave them out due to picky eaters so feel free to omit them if you're not fond of them.

There are even some that say puttanesca was invented by a brothel owner just outside of Rome then others by a brothel owner in Naples Spanish Quarter plus it was just a name and a reference to the green, red and purple of the sauce, which was the colors of the underwear worn by women working at these brothels.

There are even some stories the vibrant sauce was invented by a sex worker named Yvette la Francese, who named it after her trade, so no matter where it was invented, it was said to be the quickest meal they could prepare during their tricks.

Now that we have some of that history out of the way, hopefully, you will still want to try this easy tasty sauce we do really love despite its horrid history!

Just try the sauce and put it over whatever you like even bread it's so delicious!

tomato sauce with olive dipping the bread in the pot to taste it

Ingredients We Use the exact measurements are below in the recipe card

boneless chicken breast
olive oil
cloves minced garlic
fresh plum tomatoes or Roma plum tomatoes, broken into pieces, with juice
Kalamata olives or any use black olives
drained capers
minced anchovy fillets or use anchovy paste
dried crushed basil or fresh leaves
dried crushed red pepper flakes
white wine

Other Sauce Additions

mushrooms
finely shredded carrots for sweetness
diced onions
artichoke hearts minced
finely minced celery
any kinds of black olives
capers
fresh herbs you prefer parsley, basil, etc.

plum ripe tomatoes to make homemade Italian sauce is in this black pot

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Olives and Sauce

If you love tomato sauce, chicken and olives, this is a must try for all fans out there, it's easy and delicious and pretty vibrant with flavors.

Puttanesca is a wonderful topping for pizza, pasta and meats of any kind, so try it over whatever your family likes!