Most chicken puttanesca just drops thighs into a jar of sauce, but Si and Dave do something cleverer. They tie each boneless thigh into a neat round parcel with string, brown it, then bake it in a punchy anchovy-and-caper tomato sauce, all served over linguine. It comes from their Chicken and Egg book and serves 4 at around 720 kcal.
The tying is what sets it apart, and it is the reason the thighs cook up neat and juicy rather than curling in the oven. Everything else is a classic Naples puttanesca, built for punch rather than fuss.
The sauce is where the real punch comes from, and it needs no cream or fuss to get there. Anchovies, garlic, chilli flakes, and capers cook down into the tomatoes, giving a deep, salty, savoury kick that clings to every strand of pasta.
Hairy Bikers Chicken Puttanesca Recipe
Description
Boneless chicken thighs are seasoned with Italian herbs, tied into round parcels, and browned before baking in a punchy sauce of cherry tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, and chilli. Capers and fresh basil are stirred through at the end, then it all goes over a tangle of linguine tossed in olive oil.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Season and tie: Heat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Lay the thighs skin-side down and sprinkle each with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then fold the edges into the centre and tie tightly with string into neat parcels, skin on the outside.
- Brown the parcels: Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan, then cook the chicken parcels for 3 to 4 minutes each side until browned all over. Transfer them to an ovenproof dish and set aside.
- Start the sauce: Heat the rest of the oil in the pan, then fry the onion for 3 to 4 minutes until softened.
- Build and bake: Add the tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, and chilli flakes and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring well. Pour over the chicken, drizzle with a little oil, then bake for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the sauce has thickened.
- Cook the linguine: Meanwhile, cook the linguine in salted boiling water to packet instructions, then drain and toss with a drizzle of oil.
- Finish: Lift out the parcels and snip off the string, then stir the capers and basil into the sauce and season. Serve the linguine topped with the sauce and chicken, scattered with more basil.
FAQs
How do you tie the chicken thighs into parcels?
Lay each boneless thigh skin-side down, season it, then fold the loose edges into the middle and loop plain kitchen string around it a couple of times before knotting. Keep the skin facing outwards so it browns, and do not pull the string too tight or the meat bulges out as it cooks.
Brown them in batches if your pan is crowded, since crammed parcels steam instead of colouring. Snip the string off after baking, just before you lift them onto the pasta.
Will the anchovies make it taste fishy?
No, and this is the part people worry about needlessly. The six anchovy fillets melt completely into the tomato sauce as it cooks, so you never see them or taste fish.
What they leave behind is a deep, savoury saltiness that makes the whole sauce taste richer. If you left them out the puttanesca would taste flat, so they are doing the heavy lifting here.
There are no olives, is that right for puttanesca?
It is worth flagging, because a classic puttanesca usually has black olives alongside the capers and anchovies. Si and Dave’s version leaves them out and leans on the anchovies, capers, and chilli for the punch instead.
If you love olives, a handful of chopped black ones stirred in with the capers fits right in and takes it closer to the traditional Naples sauce.
Why bake the chicken instead of simmering it in the sauce?
Baking the parcels in the oven cooks the thicker rolled thighs through gently and evenly, which a quick hob simmer would struggle to do. The 20 minutes in the oven also lets the sauce reduce and thicken around the chicken at the same time.
It means the sauce clings rather than staying watery, so it coats the linguine properly when you plate up.
Can I make it with chicken breast instead?
You can, but boneless thighs are chosen here for a reason: they stay juicy through the bake and they roll into parcels neatly, which breast does not. Breast would also dry out in the oven far faster.
If you only have breast, skip the tying, bake it for less time, and check it early. For a similar chicken-and-tomato dinner, their chicken cacciatore uses the same skin-on thighs in an Italian tomato braise, or their chicken kiev pasta bake is another chicken pasta option.
