Chicken Breasts With Peppers, Tomatoes and Saffron Recipe (2024)

Identical to an old family recipe minus 1 tbsp. lemon juice added with the tomatoes. Brings up the flavor of the spices

Add orange zest and black olives to make this dish sing.

I always looked forward to Pierre Franey's recipes; reliably obtainable ingredients, easily put together and always delicious. Thank you for continuing to post them.

Perfect as written. For a bit of spice, season with a touch of cayenne or add a small hot pepper, thinly spiced, to the pepper mix.

Exactly! I have been making this for years and, yes, a squit of lemon juice really brightens it up.

The introduction says, "The chicken is browned first, then slowly cooked." But that's not what the recipe itself describes. The recipe says you cook it in but for a total (both sides) of about 9 minutes "until done," set it aside to keep warm, then add it back in at the end. I suppose, though, that you could just brown it for two minutes a side, then let it simmer for 10 or 15 minutes at the end when it is recombined with the sauce.

We enjoyed this dish. I used turmeric since I didn't have any saffron on hand and appreciated having a suggested alternative. I'll definitely make it again.

It is great to have a Pierre Franey recipe. Brings back good old tastes

Thank you for bringing back Pierre Frances. His recipes in the 60 Minute Gourmet were always reliably simple, honest and delicious.
I just finished making this, and it felt like an old friend was by my side.

I made some changes. I used 1 pot, cooking the chicken first, setting that aside, and then did the veggies. Added the shallots & spices after sauteing veggies, then added the cooked chicken, wine & broth, cooking it down. I added 1 tbsp lemon juice, ½ cup of Kalamata olives, & a tbsp of capers. I used both the saffron & the tumeric & ½ teaspoon of paprika. I used sherry instead of white wine. Result was very tasty. As for chicken, 2 skinless boneless breast halves = 1.5 lbs.

We loved this recipe. Instead of using salt, I substituted some chopped anchovies.

I've been cooking this dish since Franey first published it (yes, I'm that old!) and it is always a great meal. But I ordered it in Macao a few years back and it was much better for the addition of the zest and olives just as Pikawicca commented. But make sure you use pitted. oil cured black olives. It's become a new favorite!

This sauce is far greater than the sum of its parts. Try it on any simply cooked fish !

This was phenomenal. I omitted the wine and cooked down the peppers longer than instructed which resulted in a sauce deeply rich and flavorful. I added lemon which was lifting but wouldn't add next time - although the lemon zest was a nice contrast. A little cayenne goes a long way here. Next time would garnish with a dash of parsley rather than adding it into the sauce which overpowered the saffron. Would likely use this sauce for a white fish

This is a terrific recipe. I used turmeric rather than saffron and added the squeeze of lemon (1/4 of one) and (chopped) kalamata olives per other suggestions. (My husband would have liked more olives!) There are just two of us, so I made half of the veggies and 1/2 lb of chicken. Served with basmati rice and crunchy baguette. Definitely a keeper.

As a novice cook, this recipe makes me feel like a real chef. It’s fantastic as-is, but adding mushrooms or another vegetable wouldn’t be out of line. One of my favorite recipes from the NYT!

I followed it with the advice of a commenter below "It needs the additional herbs from the original 1982 recipe - thyme and a bay leaf, in addition to the saffron. The recipe here also skips the addition of a dried hot pepper, which is removed at the end", and added a good squeeze of lemon. Next time I would add capers and or olives.

"It needs the additional herbs from the original 1982 recipe - thyme and a bay leaf, in addition to the saffron. The recipe here also skips the addition of a dried hot pepper, which is removed at the end; I used crushed red pepper instead. Also, that many Bell peppers and that much onion needs a LOT of salt during the initial saute - at least a teaspoon of coarse salt. Give it another shot, using the thyme, bay leaf, pepponcini, and adequate salt. And skip the shallot, as I noted above."

This was delicious and easy to make. It did take a little bit more time than I’m used to, but prepping the ingredients made this process go quicker. This had a lot of flavor for relatively few ingredients.

This was so tasty. I made it as instructed except I read in the comments a squeeze of lemon would brighten it up so I did add a bit with the tomatoes and it did wonders. Honestly I wouldn't add more spices becajse for me the star of the show was the saffron. Served it with brown rice.

Cooked the chicken as suggested, but then put it back in with the sauce as it cooked down the broth. I put a meat thermometer in the chicken and covered the pan to make sure the chicken reached 162 degrees F. Tender and delicious. Great recipe!

I followed RD Collins suggestions in the comments..and it was terrific!

Added lots of extra crushed tomatoes because why not 😍

We really enjoyed this dish! Took the advice from the comments and added 1 tbsp. lemon juice with the tomatoes. It brought all the flavors to life. Will make again!

I agree - lemon is a nice add. Used fresh grape tomatoes that need to be eaten - 1/5 cups. Was delicious. Made tahdig to go with it. Great combination with the saffron, and it made it feel almost fancy for a quick recipe.

Try 1/2 tsp each of turmeric and paprikas and the zest of one orange with the onions and the pepper. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup olives ( with seeds and crushed)

Ate with chimichurri sauce and rice 11/21. Needed the oomph from the chimichurri!

Threw this together when I suddenly found myself cooking for a larger crew than I expected. Used boneless skinless chicken thighs, which I cut into bite-sized pieces before browning, and went with the saffron rather than the turmeric. Added peas at the end for color and a squeeze of lemon. Everyone loved it. Unexpectedly delicious for a dish that uses fairly simple ingredients.