Anna Louise Italian chicken is one of the most vibrant, most satisfying one-pan suppers in the British home cook’s repertoire.
Golden chicken pieces braised in a sauce of tomatoes, garlic, olives, capers, and white wine — fragrant with fresh basil and oregano — it is simultaneously simple and deeply flavoured, weeknight-friendly and impressive enough for guests.
Mary Berry’s Italian chicken recipe captures the essential character of Southern Italian chicken cooking — the vivid, bright tomato sauce, the briney olives and capers that cut through its sweetness, the generous use of fresh herbs, and the golden, caramelised chicken skin that contrasts beautifully with the sauce beneath.
The whole dish comes together in one pan in under an hour and the sauce is so good that you will want crusty bread to mop every last trace of it from the bowl.
What Makes This Italian Chicken So Good
Capers and olives. These two ingredients provide the characteristic briny, slightly salty notes that distinguish Italian chicken from a standard chicken and tomato casserole. They cut through the sweetness of the tomatoes and add a complexity that makes the sauce genuinely interesting.
Fresh basil stirred through at the very end. Basil cooked for too long loses its freshness and becomes slightly bitter. Torn fresh basil leaves added off the heat give the sauce a vivid, aromatic freshness that is completely different from dried basil cooked into the sauce.
Properly browned chicken. Golden, caramelised chicken skin sitting above the tomato sauce — not submerged in it — gives the dish its visual appeal and its textural contrast. Skin submerged in sauce becomes pale and unpleasant. Keep it above the liquid.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Italian Chicken
- 8 chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on, bone in
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 150ml dry white wine
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 100g pitted black or green olives
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
- Fresh basil leaves, torn — generous handful
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Extra fresh basil and good quality olive oil to finish
How to Make Mary Berry Italian Chicken — Step by Step
Step 1 — Brown the Chicken
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep ovenproof frying pan or wide casserole over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces generously. Place skin-side down and cook for four to five minutes without moving until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Turn and cook for two minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.
Step 2 — Build the Sauce
Reduce the heat to medium. In the same pan, cook the onion for eight minutes until softened. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper and cook for three more minutes.
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, oregano, and sugar. Season generously. Stir to combine.
Step 3 — Return the Chicken
Nestle the browned chicken pieces skin-side up into the tomato sauce. The skin must sit above the surface of the sauce — not submerged. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Step 4 — Oven or Hob
Oven method (preferred): Transfer to a preheated 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4 oven. Cook uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Hob method: Cover partially and simmer over a low heat for 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 5 — Add Olives and Capers
In the final ten minutes of cooking, add the olives and capers. Stir gently through the sauce. Cooking them briefly — rather than from the start — keeps them pleasantly firm rather than soft.
Step 6 — Finish and Serve
Remove from the oven or hob. Tear the fresh basil leaves and stir through the sauce off the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
Serve from the pan at the table.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Italian Chicken
Keep the chicken skin above the sauce. The browning at the start gives the skin its golden colour and flavour. Keep it above the sauce during cooking so it stays crisp rather than becoming pale and soggy when submerged.
Add olives and capers in the final ten minutes only. Both ingredients become slightly soft and lose some of their pleasant firmness if cooked from the beginning. Added in the final ten minutes they retain their texture and their briny, clean flavour.
Add basil off the heat. Cooked basil loses its freshness and vivid flavour. Torn leaves stirred into the sauce after it comes off the heat give a completely different, more vibrant result.
Use good quality olives. The marinated olives from a deli counter or olive bar are significantly better than tinned olives for this dish. Their flavour is more complex and their texture is more pleasant.
Finish with extra virgin olive oil. A drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil over the finished dish brightens all the flavours and adds a glossy richness that makes it look and taste more elegant.
Serving Suggestions
With crusty ciabatta or focaccia for mopping the sauce — essential. With pasta for a more substantial meal — penne or rigatoni tossed through the sauce. With polenta for something more Italian in character. With a simple rocket salad dressed with lemon and olive oil.
How to Store Mary Berry Italian Chicken
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The flavour improves overnight as the sauce deepens and the chicken absorbs more of its character. Reheat gently on the hob.
In the freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently.
Mary Berry Italian Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Season chicken. Brown skin-side down in hot oil 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove.
- Cook onion in same pan 8 minutes. Add garlic and pepper — 3 minutes. Add wine — bubble and scrape base. Add tomatoes, purée, oregano, and sugar. Season.
- Nestle chicken skin-side up in sauce. Cook uncovered in 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4 oven for 35–40 minutes.
- Add olives and capers in final 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in torn basil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve from the pan.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast?
Thighs and drumsticks give a significantly better result in this dish — they stay moist through 35 to 40 minutes of braising and the skin provides the golden colour that makes the dish so visually appealing. If using breast, add it for the final 20 minutes only.
Can I add anchovies?
Yes — two finely chopped anchovy fillets added with the garlic dissolve completely into the sauce and add an extraordinary depth of umami without making the dish taste fishy. It is a very worthwhile addition.
Can I add wine if I am cooking for children?
The alcohol in the wine evaporates during cooking, leaving only the flavour. If you prefer to avoid wine entirely, replace with a splash of chicken stock and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes — brown the chicken and build the sauce as directed, then transfer to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. Add olives and capers in the final hour. The skin will not stay crisp but the flavour is excellent.
Can I use fresh tomatoes?
Yes — 800g of ripe, deeply flavoured fresh tomatoes roughly chopped give a lighter, more delicate result than tinned. Use in summer when tomatoes are at their best.
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