I started out with the same three peppers I use in my chicken and bell pepper stir-fry, then took the whole thing in a different direction. I was in the mood for something closer to ciulama, the creamy Romanian chicken dish. 😁 So out came the cream, the sweet paprika and the pepper mill. I was particularly generous with that last one.
The peppers stay a little crisp, the chicken gets nicely browned, and the sauce is creamy enough to make a bowl of plain jasmine rice feel like a very good idea.
Why Try This Recipe
The best part of cooking this in one skillet is what happens after you brown the chicken. All those tasty little bits stuck to the bottom of the pan come loose when you add the cream. Give them a scrape with a wooden spoon and they’ll do more for the sauce than another pinch of seasoning.
I also like what the green pepper does here. The red and yellow ones bring sweetness, and the green one gives the dish a slightly sharper edge. I slice all three into strips, about the same size as the chicken. It’s an easy way to get a bit of everything in each bite.
The paprika gives the sauce its colour, and there’s just enough cumin to taste it in the background. As for the black pepper, I like to grind a little more over the pan right before serving. That’s when I can tell whether I’ve added enough. Usually, there’s room for one more turn. 🙂
A few tips for getting the sauce right
Brown the chicken in batches if you need to. You want the strips to have enough room to sit in a single layer. If the pan is crowded, the chicken releases moisture faster than it can evaporate. Give the strips a little space and let them colour before turning them.
Taste a pepper before you pour in the cream. I like mine just starting to soften, with a little crunch left in the middle. If you prefer them softer, give them another minute or two before adding the cream. That way you can cook the peppers to your liking without leaving the chicken in the pan any longer than it needs.
Let the sauce simmer gently. I stop when the sauce leaves a thin layer on the back of a spoon but still pours easily over rice. A splash of water will loosen it if it gets too thick. If it’s still a little thin when the chicken is done, lift the chicken out and simmer the sauce on its own for another minute or two.
What I served it with
I put a bowl of jasmine rice on the table, shaved some Parmesan over the chicken and served beet salad on the side. The beet salad was my favourite part of that combination. Its sweetness goes so well with the peppery sauce that I kept alternating bites of the two.
Mashed potatoes would work just as well. Make a little well in the middle for the sauce. And if you have good crusty bread, you already know what to do with whatever’s left on the plate.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use plant-based cream?
Yes. Swap the cooking cream for the same amount of plant-based cooking cream. I’ve cooked with Alpro soya cream several times and it’s the one I’d use here. If you’re making the dish lactose-free, you can leave off the Parmesan or use a lactose-free topping.
Do I need all three colours of bell pepper?
Use whatever you have, keeping the total amount about the same. If you use all red or yellow peppers, the dish will be a little sweeter. Green peppers give it a more pronounced flavour.
Can I make it with chicken thighs?
Yes. Boneless, skinless thighs work well. Slice them into evenly sized strips and give them a little extra time if they’re thicker than the breast strips in the recipe.
More chicken recipes to try
If you have another pack of chicken breast in the fridge, here are three ways I’d use it.
Chicken and Vegetable Skillet – Chicken and vegetables cooked together in one pan, without a sauce.
Easy Chicken Chili with Kidney Beans and Corn – A mildly spicy chili that’s good with rice or a slice of crusty bread.
Spicy Chicken with Bell Peppers and White Wine – Chicken and peppers again, this time with white wine and eggs stirred in at the end.
Creamy Chicken and Bell Pepper Skillet
2
servings15
minutes20
minutes740
kcalGolden chicken strips and bell peppers in a creamy paprika and black pepper sauce, served with jasmine rice.
Ingredients
400 g boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ red, ½ yellow and ½ green bell pepper, about 75 g each once trimmed
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp cooking oil
200 ml cooking cream
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt, to taste
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
100 g uncooked jasmine rice, to serve
Parmesan shavings and chilli flakes, optional, to serve
Directions
- Cook the rice according to the package directions and keep it covered until serving.
- Slice the chicken and peppers into strips. Slice the onion and finely chop the garlic. Toss the chicken with the paprika, cumin, salt and black pepper.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with about two-thirds of the oil. Brown the chicken on all sides, about 5–7 minutes depending on the thickness of the strips. Transfer it to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil, onion and peppers. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Turn down the heat and stir in the cream and oregano. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, then return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan.
- Simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce lightly coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Serve with jasmine rice and add Parmesan shavings and chilli flakes if you like.
Note
- Nutritional values are estimates and may vary depending on the ingredients used and portion sizes.
