This creamy roasted red pepper chicken is a cozy family dinner that comes together so easily in your skillet! With the sweetness of roasted bell peppers, fragrant herbs and a touch of cream, it's an easy weeknight meal that feels quite indulgent!
Have a peek at my nomato sauce and my red pepper coulis for some tasty red pepper sauce ideas!
Much like my creamy paprika chicken and creamy tarragon chicken, this recipe is the easy chicken dinner you need for a busy weeknight, but is definitely fancy enough for a weekend meal!
Making this roasted red pepper chicken recipe is super simple, and it has the most delicious tomato free sauce. Blended roasted bell peppers, cream, thyme and onion combine for a fragrant creamy sauce that feels like the best comfort food!
Do check out my low histamine diet chicken recipes round-up for more tomato-free chicken ideas and my air fryer mozzarella chicken and sheet pan chicken and squash for more easy dinner ideas!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Chicken and red pepper deliciousness! Roasting red bell peppers brings out their delightful sweetness and the herbs give that fragrant earthy flavor. Have a peek at my roasted red pepper pasta for another tasty idea!
Low carb and gluten free. Depending upon the sides you choose, this can easily be a fairly low carb red pepper chicken recipe - my skillet frozen cauliflower rice would be a good choice!
All simple steps. Nothing complicated about this recipe and it has minimal clean-up after too!
🌶 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Chicken - I have used boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe, but you can easily use chicken breast if you prefer (they will likely need a little less cook time).
- Bell peppers - I suggest to use red bell peppers as they have much more sweetness when roasted than yellow or green bell peppers.
- Heavy cream - also known as double cream in the UK, make sure not to use single cream as it will likely split when heated.
📖 Swaps and variations
Add a pinch of spice. If you like a little 'heat' then a pinch of sweet paprika will add a lovely earthy flavor. For those not a low histamine diet, a small pinch of regular or smoked paprika can be used also.
Use a jar of roasted red peppers. If it works for you, then using a jar of roasted sweet peppers can be used instead of roasting your own peppers.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this creamy roasted red pepper chicken is very simple, with just a few steps:
Step 1: Roast the red peppers
Remove the stems, ribs and seeds from your bell peppers and dice into 3-4 pieces. Place on a lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme (image 1). Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender.
Step 2: Blend the red pepper sauce
Once the peppers have a cooled a little, add to a blender with a little olive oil and blend to a thick sauce (image 2).
Step 3: Cook the chicken thighs
Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and cook the chicken thighs for 5-8 minutes each side, depending upon their thickness (image 3). Set aside on a plate.
Step 4: Saute onion and garlic
If required, add a touch more olive oil to your skillet. Saute diced onion for 3-4 minutes until softened, then add the garlic. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes (image 4).
Recipe tip: be sure to cook the chicken thighs almost completely through as they will only have a few more minutes in the skillet after this step.
Step 5: Add the stock, red pepper puree and cream
Pour in the chicken stock and red pepper puree and stir to combine with the onion. Then pour in the cream and stir again (image 5). Heat on low-medium so it is lightly bubbling.
Step 6: Reduce the sauce
Use tongs to place the chicken thighs into the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes to reduce the red pepper sauce (image 6). Season with salt and black pepper to taste preference.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- If using chicken breasts you may wish to slice them into 2-3 pieces for a quicker cook time and more flavor.
- If it works for you, a jar of roasted red peppers can be used instead of cooking your own. Pat some of the excess oil off with paper towel before use.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to lift any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet when adding the liquids.
- Check that your chicken has an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest point using a meat thermometer.
📋 Frequently asked questions
Roasted red peppers have a lovely delicate sweetness.
Yes, we don't use tomatoes, and instead use red bell peppers, thyme, chicken stock and cream to make the sauce. Have a peek at my roasted red pepper pesto pasta recipe for another tasty meal idea!
My UK readers can use double cream for this recipe. Don't use single cream as it will likely split!
🍽 How to serve roasted red pepper chicken
I always think that chicken in sauce recipes are best served with some sides to make the most of the rich sauce.
- Both kids and adults alike are fans of mash don't you find?! My cauliflower potato mash is creamy and delicious, and my sweet potato celeriac mash is a little different and so tasty!
- Choose my skillet frozen cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
- Couscous, rice and quinoa are all easy to make!
- My air fryer frozen butternut squash adds some veggies to your plate and is so simple to do.
🥣 More chicken recipes
Enjoy so many tasty chicken recipes, including my air fryer skinless chicken thighs, pan fried panko chicken and pesto chicken quinoa bowls which are all so good for a quick dinner. Some recent recipes to try:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ and comment if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 small red bell peppers seeds and ribs removed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- ½ onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced or finely diced
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken stock
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Remove the stems and ribs of the bell peppers and dice into large pieces. Place on the baking sheet, drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle over the dried thyme. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft with slight browning at the edges.
- Once the bell peppers have cooled slightly add to a blender along with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and blend to a thick sauce.
- Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and place the chicken thighs smooth side down. Sear the chicken thighs for 5-8 minutes each side, depending upon the size of the thighs, or until they are cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
- Add the onion to the skillet (no need to clean first) and saute for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken stock and the bell pepper puree. Stir and lift any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon or spatula, then pour in the heavy cream and bring to a low-medium heat so the sauce is very lightly bubbling.
- Use tongs to place the chicken thighs back in the skillet. Cook for a further 4-5 minutes to reduce the sauce. Check that the chicken thighs have an internal temperature of 165F at their deepest point.
- Serve with sides of your choice, garnishing with fresh herbs to preference.
Notes
- If using chicken breasts you may wish to slice them into 2-3 pieces for a quicker cook time and more flavor.
- If it works for you, a jar of roasted red peppers can be used instead of cooking your own. Pat some of the excess oil off with paper towel before use.
- Use a wooden spoon or spatula to lift any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet when adding the liquids.
- Check that your chicken has an internal temperature of 165F at the deepest point using a meat thermometer.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- onion and garlic, which score 1. I suggest to use white onion instead.
- chicken stock, which will depend upon ingredients used.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
Yvonne says
I love this recipe!! Family love it too! Would definitely make it again and again
Claire says
So lovely to hear that you all enjoy it Yvonne!
Ruth says
Thanks for your website! It’s so hard to think of what to cook on a low histamine diet. Can you please advise how you thaw your chicken? As I know thawing in refrigerator or counter for long time can add histamine levels. I was thinking using an InstantPot but that will probably cook the chicken.
Claire says
I tend to use fresh chicken to cook with most often, but I would suggest to consult with a dietitian for their advice if you prefer to use thawed chicken.
Sophie Claire says
I love this recipe, and the leftover sauce is really useful to have in the freezer. I used it to make ricotta and rocket lasagne, which was delicious.
Claire says
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Sophie! So pleased you enjoy the chicken recipe, and what a good idea to use the sauce to make lasagne!
Jenny says
Quick, easy, and delicious! I love how a few ingredients come together as a meal that feels and tastes like so much more. I miss tomato sauce, and this really filled that piece. Thanks for showing that low histamine doesn’t have to be boring.
Claire says
So glad you enjoyed it Jenny! Tomatoes seem to be in everything don't they - so I'm always trying to come up with tomato free recipes that are still full of flavor. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Tami luzzi says
My daughter and I are both low histamine/MCAS so it was amazing to find a pasta sauce we could enjoy! My whole family loved it. We made it with GF pasta and chicken & broccoli. It was super tasty and creamy! I made extra sauce and froze a jar for another fast dinner.
Thank u for all your tasty ideas! Soooo helpful!
Claire says
So lovely to hear that the whole family enjoyed the red pepper chicken Tami! And love the idea of freezing some sauce. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment!
Samantha says
Thank you. I did it a little but differently. I baked the chicken and added in the juices from the baked chicken in to the sauce. I also used almond cream to make the sauce creamer. It was so good.
Claire says
So glad to hear that you liked it Samantha! Always good to make some ingredient swaps for those we have on hand isn't it.
Linda says
Delicious! Used coconut cream - tasted great. Really appreciate the beautiful tomato free sauce.
Claire says
So happy to hear you liked the red pepper chicken Linda! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment on the recipe, always appreciated 🙂