Peperoncini Chicken
A Pepper Lovers Dream Meal
This Peperoncini Chicken is always a hit with those who love the tanginess of these delicious peppers. It’s savory breaded chicken breasts that has been marinated in buttermilk and the juice of peperoncini peppers.
A simple sauce made in the same pan as the chicken is seared off using the peppers, broth, and a slurry made with corn starch.
This dish will be a family favorite!
I serve this chicken dish with buttered rice or pasta. It is really great with orzo and you can toss the orzo in some of the sauce for the chicken.
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Peperoncini Peppers
I LOVE peperoncini peppers. It’s a great pepper for many of my salads.
This recipe for Peperoncini Chicken was created years ago when I had a lot of the juice leftover from jars of these peppers.
Another recipe I use these peppers in is my Chopped Italian Sub Dip.
The peppers are not necessarily spicy, though they have a tanginess to them. They DO come in different levels of heat for those who may be more sensitive to spice or want to feel the burn.
I have have always been able to find these peppers in any store I have been to. You can find them by the pickles and such.
I have been known to find them in the aisle with the salad dressing as well.
You do not have to use any particular brand of these peppers. Many brands make this type of pepper in a jar.
Thickness Matters
The thickness of your chicken matters when cooking and marinating.
Here and there I get a complaint about a chicken recipe not coming out right. I forget that some people do not realize that you need to adjust both your marinade time and cook time depending on the thickness of your chicken.
If your chicken is very thin, you need way less marinade time. in fact, if you leave the chicken in a salty marinade too long, the meat will start to cure and become woody and tough.
If your chicken is thicker, it will need MORE time to marinate. Use your best judgement based off the thickness of your chicken.
Cook Time
Cook time is also dependent on your chicken thickness as well.
The same standards for the marinade hold true for cooking. Thinner equals less time, thicker equals more time.
I always suggest meat thermometers for cooking. Remember to pull any meat ten degrees early for the done temperature.
Meat keeps cooking another ten degrees on average after pulling it from heat. Pulling it ten degrees earlier helps prevent dryness.
Gas Or Electric
Your oven and stove makes a difference as well. I cook on a gas stove when I am in Chicago and on an electric stove when I am in Michigan.
Cook time will vary for these reasons.
It’s also important to check your actual oven temperature. I wrote an article about Checking The Accuracy Of Your Oven in which I outline the process.
Peperoncini Chicken
This Peperoncini Chicken is always a hit with those who love the tanginess of these delicious peppers. Breaded chicken breasts that have been marinated in buttermilk and the juice of peperoncini peppers. A simple sauce made in the same pan as the chicken is seared off in using the peppers, broth and a slurry made with corn starch. This dish will be a family favorite.
Ingredients
- For The Chicken Marinade
- -
- 4 to 6 larger chicken breasts, breasts should not be more than an inch thick. If they are thinner or thicker, cook times listed will vary
- 2 16 ounce bottles of Peperoncini Peppers *more info on this in the post
- 1/2 cup of buttermilk or 1 tablespoon of buttermilk powder dissolved in 1/2 cup of water *more info on buttermilk powder in the post
- 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- -
- For The Chicken Breading:
- -
- 1 cup of white flour
- 1 teaspoon of celery salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 3 eggs whisked
- -
- For The Sauce:
- -
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1/4 cup of Peperoncini Juice from the jar of peppers
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 teaspoon or more of dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 3/4 cup of cold water
- -
- 4 tablespoons of butter *divided
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil *divided
Instructions
Chicken marinates for 6 to 8 hours before preparing
- Process your chicken by trimming it up. You can cut it into more manageable sized pieces. I also like to make sure the chicken is about one inch thick. So you may want to use a meat mallet to pound this chicken flatter if it is super thick. *see the post for more info on why the size of the chicken matter
- Add the chicken to a ziploc bag or glass bowl. Add the juice from ONE jar of the peppers. I then rough chop the peppers and add them to the chicken as well. Add the buttermilk, celery salt and black pepper. Squish or stir this all around and set the chicken in the fridge to marinate for up to 8 hours.
- After the chicken marinates for at least 4 to 6 hours and up to 8 hours, discard the marinade and the peppers. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Set aside.
- In one bowl whisk your eggs, make sure the bowl is large enough to dip the chicken. On another plate or bowl large enough for the chicken pieces, mix your flour, celery salt, black pepper, paprika and oregano. You can add more or less of the seasonings I suggested.
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking sheet with whatever non stick options you use.
- Drag the chicken through the eggs on all sides and then through the flour mixture. Make sure both sides of the chicken is coated in the egg and then the flour. Place on baking sheet.
- Let this chicken sit for about 15 minutes after breading it.
- In a deep skillet, add half the butter and the oil. Let this get hot but not smoking. Add your chicken and fry on both sides until it is golden brown. You will know the chicken is ready to flip when it lifts easily from the pan. It should just take about 5 to 7 minutes on each side. Don't crowd the pan, so you may need to fry this in batches. When it is down getting golden brown. Place the pieces back on the baking sheet. When it is all browned put it in the oven and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is done. All ovens and pieces of chicken cook differently. Pull the chicken when it is about 150 to 155 degrees in the thickest part.
- While the chicken bakes, make the sauce. In the same pan as the fried chicken, do not clean it, add the rest of the butter and olive oil. Use a rubber spatula to scrape up the bits burnt on while the butter and olive oil heat and melt. Sauté this all around.
- Then add the peperoncini juice and the broth. Bring to a simmer and add the oregano and black pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes and it will be thickening.
- Whisk your corn starch into the cold water until there are no lumps. Slowly add this to the sauce as it simmers a little at a time, whisk for a minute or two to let it thicken. Stop adding it when the sauce is as thick as you want it.
- Pull the chicken from the oven, squeeze the half lemon over it. Serve the chicken with the sauce over it. Garnish with the peppers, lemon slices and a sprinkle of oregano and black pepper.
A Great Side
If you are looking for something to serve with this chicken, you can make pasta or plain rice. IF you want to take it up a notch, make my delicious Lemon Pepper Rice.
This is a wonderful fried rice that will pair perfectly with the chicken.