Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Breasts highlight juicy pan-seared chicken in a rustic dairy-free creamy sauce into a delightful restaurant-quality main dish. Serve it with your favorite side dishes for a complete meal.
If there’s one macronutrient I consume assertively, it is protein.
Back in my mid-twenties, I learned the hard way (at least 12 times) the importance of consuming adequate protein.
My hormones were whacky, my gut health was a mess, I struggled with energy and my hair loved to fall out.
Once I began tracking my protein intake, all of the above issues improved dramatically. Not only did my mood, energy, and overall physical and mental health improve, but I began putting on muscle and kept getting stronger and stronger.
So to say I’m an advocate for quality protein is an understatement.
Like everything food related, the source of the protein is paramount, which is why I center the majority of my meals around whole foods.
Recipes like this creamy roasted red pepper chicken breasts are my saving grace when I begin getting bored with my proteins.
Chicken breasts can be fabulous when prepared with intention, or tear-inducingly boring.
I pulled inspiration from my Crispy Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to generate a sultry, creamy sauce with rustic vibes.
The end result is a tasty main dish that changes up weeknight meals. It’s a great recipe for keeping the protein flame alive and for a quick dinner the whole family can enjoy.
I make the sauce dairy-free but I have included both a dairy-free option and a regular option for my friends who do dairy.
One of my favorite features of this recipe is that it results in plenty of sauce. If you’re like me and you’re all about a rich and creamy sauce, you’ll get a kick out of this fun characteristic.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this chicken breast recipe.
Ingredients for Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken:
Chicken: Select your favorite cut of chicken. I like using boneless skinless chicken breasts so I can get a lot of lean protein out of the meal. I like using thin cut chicken breasts that have been sliced into thin cutlets.
These thinner slices cook quicker than full chicken breasts and they don’t dry out as easily. If your grocery store doesn’t carry chicken filets or chicken cutlets, you can slice a whole chicken breast in half through the center to create thinner chicken filets.
You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone in skin on chicken thighs. Note that the exact cooking time will vary depending on which cut you use.
For the best results, be sure to use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken turns out with the perfect doneness.
Onion and Garlic: Sauteed onion and fresh garlic cloves get blended into the roasted red pepper sauce to level up the flavor.
Roasted Red Bell Peppers: The star of the show! The great news is you don’t need to roast your own red peppers. Simply buy a jar of roasted red bell peppers, which are typically found next to the olives and jarred pickles in the grocery store.
Of course, if you’d like to roast your own peppers, feel free to do so. You will need 1.5 cups of roasted fresh red bell pepper.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes: While adding sun-dried tomatoes is optional, doing so amplifies the flavor.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream: The base of the creamy sauce is either full-fat canned coconut milk (for a dairy-free option), or heavy cream.
I don’t recommend using anything other than canned coconut milk or heavy cream to get the right consistency.
If you try using a different type of milk, you will likely need to add flour to thicken the sauce and it won’t taste as rich with lower fat content.
Lemon Zest: A little fresh lemon zest brings bright citrus flavor to the rich sauce.
Baby Spinach and Cherry Tomatoes (optional): Adding nutrients rustic elements, I like mixing in some fresh spinach and cherry or grape tomatoes. If either one doesn’t appeal to you, skip it.
Fresh Basil Leaves (optional): Bringing big fresh herby flavor, I like chopping up fresh basil and sprinkling it over the chicken just before serving. If you aren’t a basil lover, you can skip it.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Add sea salt and black pepper to your personal taste. If the sauce tastes bland to you, it likely needs more salt. If you have garlic powder and Italian seasoning on hand, feel free to sprinkle either one of both on the chicken.
Avocado Oil: In order to sauté the onion and brown the chicken, we need a high temperature cooking oil, like avocado oil.
Olive oil isn’t the best option in this application since we are cooking over high heat. If you enjoy cooking with butter, you can use a combination of butter and oil.
Recipe Customizations:
- Adding a splash of dry white wine (about ¼ cup) such as sauvignon blanc brings a restaurant-quality appeal to the cream sauce. Skip it if you don’t typically cook with wine or you don’t keep it on hand.
- Add in artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, and/or capers for even more flavor.
- Drizzle everything with a little lemon juice.
- Top the chicken with sour cream or Greek yogurt for extra creaminess.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the creamy red pepper sauce for some spice.
- Mix in any fresh herbs or dried herbs you like.
For Serving:
What should you serve with creamy roasted pepper chicken? I recommend some form of starch like white rice, brown rice, pasta noodles, crusty bread, or mashed potatoes to soak up the delicious sauce. If you follow a low carb diet, cauliflower rice works great here too.
Pick your favorite veggie (or vegetable medley) to go alongside the chicken as well. I recommend my Garlic Herb Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Green Beans, or Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Lemon.
This recipe makes plenty of sauce! If you are looking to use this as a meal prep recipe, use 2.5 to 3 pounds of boneless chicken breasts.
How to Make Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Breasts:
Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging and place them on a large plate or cutting board. Pat the breasts dry with paper towels then sprinkle both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside while you’re preparing the sauce.
Heat one tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove top (I use a 12-inch nonstick skillet).
Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and it begins to turn golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a high powered blender or a food processor along with the remaining ingredients for the sauce (roasted red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk, white wine (if adding), lemon zest, and sea salt). Blend until the sauce is completely smooth.
Using the same skillet you used to sauté the onion and garlic, place the skillet back on the stove top and heat over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and wait for a few minutes while the oil heats up.
Carefully place the chicken breasts on the hot skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until both sides of the breasts have a golden-brown crust. If the chicken starts becoming too dark at any point, reduce heat to medium-high heat.
Once both sides are golden-brown, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for a few minutes to allow the skillet to cool down (this prevents the sauce from bubbling out of control once it hits the skillet).
Carefully pour sauce into the skillet, over the browned chicken breasts. If you have a splatter screen, now is a great time to use it because if the skillet is still very hot, the sauce will splatter quite a bit.
Cook chicken in the sauce for 6-8 minutes, flipping once or twice. The sauce should be bubbling but should not be boiling out of control.
Add the baby spinach and tomatoes. The spinach will overwhelm the skillet at first but it will become easy to stir into the sauce once it begins to wilt.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts. Chicken is cooked through once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Taste the sauce for flavor and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your personal taste.
Serve roasted red pepper chicken with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta noodles to soak up the sauce. Sprinkle with julienned fresh basil leaves if you’d like.
If you do cheese, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese over the dish. I also like serving the chicken with roasted vegetables or steamed vegetables. Broccoli, asparagus, and green beans are all great vegetable side dish options.
This red pepper chicken recipe is even more flavorful the next day.
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
And that’s it!
A simple recipe that’s quick enough to enjoy for weeknight meals, yet fancy enough to serve for special occasions.
The next time you’re looking for chicken breast recipes, whip up these chicken breasts with creamy roasted red pepper sauce.
If you love fun and frisky chicken recipes like this one, also try out these reader favorites.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
- Asian Baked Chicken Breasts
- Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts
- Baked Korean BBQ Chicken
- Crispy Mediterranean Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Creamy Caramelized Onion Chicken
- Lemon Garlic Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs
Enjoy this creamy rustic delight!
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 5 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 (16-oz) jar roasted red bell peppers drained
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained, optional
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk**
- ¼ cup dry white wine optional
- 1 tsp lemon zest optional
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes optional
- 5 ounces baby spinach optional
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped, optional
Instructions
- Remove the chicken breasts from their packaging and place them on a large plate or cutting board. Pat the breasts dry with paper towels then sprinkle both sides with sea salt and black pepper. Set aside while you’re preparing the sauce.
- Heat one tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove top (I use a 12-inch nonstick skillet).
- Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened and it begins to turn golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the onion and garlic mixture to a high powered blender or a food processor along with the remaining ingredients for the sauce (roasted red bell peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, coconut milk, white wine (if adding), lemon zest, and sea salt). Blend until the sauce is completely smooth.
- Using the same skillet you used to sauté the onion and garlic, place the skillet back on the stove top and heat over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil and wait for a few minutes while the oil heats up.
- Carefully place the chicken breasts on the hot skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until both sides of the breasts have a golden-brown crust. If the chicken starts becoming too dark at any point, reduce heat to medium-high heat. Once both sides are golden-brown, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for a few minutes to allow the skillet to cool down (this prevents the sauce from bubbling out of control once it hits the skillet).
- Carefully pour sauce into the skillet, over the browned chicken breasts. If you have a splatter screen, now is a great time to use it because if the skillet is still very hot, the sauce will splatter quite a bit.
- Cook chicken in the sauce for 6-8 minutes, flipping once or twice. The sauce should be bubbling but should not be boiling out of control. Add the baby spinach and tomatoes. The spinach will overwhelm the skillet at first but it will become easy to stir into the sauce once it begins to wilt. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts. Chicken is cooked through once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Taste the sauce for flavor and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice to your personal taste.
- Serve roasted red pepper chicken with rice, mashed potatoes, or pasta noodles to soak up the sauce. Sprinkle with julienned fresh basil leaves if you’d like. If you do cheese, sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese or mozzarella cheese over the dish. I also like serving the chicken with roasted vegetables or steamed vegetables. Broccoli, asparagus, and green beans are all great vegetable side dish options.
Notes
Nutrition
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Wow this was incredible. I made it just as written. Forgot to salt and pepper my chicken first. Cooked everything in my coated cast iron dutch oven on the stovetop. Really great, creamy texture… would highly recommend!
Thanks so much for sharing, Kathi!! I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed the chicken. I just love the creaminess and the red pepper flavor. So delightful!