Skillet Chicken With Tomatoes, Pancetta and Mozzarella

By Melissa Clark

Updated February 24, 2025

  • A cast-iron skillet full of chicken, red sauce and cheese, and topped with herbs, is photographed from overhead.
    Christopher Testani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(6,706)
Comments
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With a topping of tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, it’s no wonder that I always think of this easy skillet dish as "pizza chicken." It’s a tangy, milky, gooey, lovable meal that’s somewhat reminiscent of chicken Parmesan, but with succulent bone-in chicken pieces instead of breaded and fried cutlets. Even better, it has pancetta and anchovies for complexity of flavor, and the whole thing comes together in under an hour.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 ½ pounds bone-in chicken pieces (or use a 3 ½ pound chicken cut into 8 pieces)

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 5 ounces pancetta, diced

  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 2 anchovy fillets

  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes

  • 1 large basil sprig, plus more chopped basil for serving

  • 8 ounces bocconcini, halved (or use mozzarella cut into ¾-inch pieces)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

10 grams carbs; 368 milligrams cholesterol; 1238 calories; 37 grams monosaturated fat; 16 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams saturated fat; 90 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1623 milligrams sodium; 94 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.

  2. Step 2

    In a large oven-proof skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper-towel-lined plate.

  3. Step 3

    Add chicken to skillet. Sear, turning only occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon oil.

  4. Step 4

    Add garlic, anchovy and red pepper flakes to skillet; fry 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Cook, breaking up tomatoes with a spatula, until sauce thickens somewhat, about 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Return chicken to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink, about 30 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Scatter bocconcini or mozzarella pieces over skillet. Adjust oven temperature to broil. Return skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes (watch carefully to see that it does not burn). Garnish with pancetta and chopped basil before serving.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
6,706 user ratings
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Comments

Florence

I almost never follow recipes exactly, but I happened to with this one. It was outstanding! Thank you!

I agree with the person who said the garlic etc is prone to burn -- need to let the pan cool down a bit after browning chicken.

And I agree with the person who requests that this space be for questions about or actual experience making the recipe. People ranting about calories have a lot of other places they can go rant. Most cooks know how to reduce fat or calories as they choose.

Csamora

I have made this dish twice, delicious. Changes I made: The second time I added a layer of fresh market greens and sat the chicken on top. When I browned the bacon I also crisped the chicken skin. I slow baked the dish. After 2 hours at 300 degrees, the chicken melted off the fork. The greens were a nice contrast to the red sauce. I also added green olives. I served the dish sprinkled with the bacon and crispy chicken skin and then added daps of goat cheese instead of the bocconcini-Guest worthy

Melissa Clark

Hi MelissaJane - if the sauce was thin it's probably because you only baked it for 15 minutes instead of 30 minutes, which makes sense for the boneless breasts, but doesn't give the sauce enough time to thicken and reduce properly. Next time cook the sauce a little longer on the stove top before adding the chicken to the pan and baking. Also using diced tomatoes is perfectly fine. Whole tomatoes results in bigger, irregular chucks, which I prefer, but you should use what you like!

Amanda

What am I missing here? I followed the recipe exactly and this was just ok. I wanted more flavor instead it just tasted like an everyday chicken dish. Not worth the hype. Also tomato, basil, pancetta, this dish is clearly Italian inspired. Angel hair or spaghetti is the ideal paring in my mind for this dish

meg

Followed this to a T, and it was absolutely delicious. Served over pearl couscous.

Kjb

I’m going to buck the trend and say I won’t be rushing to make this again. I used top quality ingredients, and followed the recipe. I found it to be just average tasting and thought that it wasn’t worth the dollars spent.

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