This Easy Sheet Pan Chicken Fra Diavolo recipe is made on one sheet pan and can be on the table in 35 minutes or less! Featuring juicy, fiery chicken thighs baked along side tender broccoli (or broccolini!) and topped with creamy burrata cheese, it’s a simple, fuss-free dinner that packs tons of flavor!
Update: This recipe was originally published in January 2017. I made edits to the article below to include more information about chicken diavolo. Plus, there’s now a step by step video showing you *just* how easy this recipe is to make!
Hey there girls and boys! How was your weekend? I certainly hope it was glorious! And, of course I hope it was filled with fabulous food… even if you are still on a ‘New Year, New You‘ cleanse, diet or detox.
My weekend was a healthy balance of work and play. And, since I don’t do diets, you can rest assured I ate my fair share of delicious food.
Anyways, I’ll stop rambling and get right to the recipe. You’re welcome. Just don’t say I never gave you anything. 😉
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About this chicken fra diavolo recipe
Also known as, easy-peasy baked chicken smothered and covered in a sizzling, scrumptiously spicy sauce.
Succulent, juicy chicken thighs are marinated and lovingly coated in a fiery red pepper and chili fra diavolo sauce. Topped with creamy, rich, melted burrata and served alongside tender-crisp broccolini (or broccoli).
This chicken is a lively mix of savory and spicy flavors, and it’s straight up splendid in taste.
Plus, is also stupid easy. Seriously! It’s actually harder to pronounce the name of the recipe than it is to make this for dinner. If you can roughly chop some produce, operate a food processor and turn on an oven, then you can totally make this chicken!
If you’re looking for more super easy, seriously tasty sheet pan chicken dinners, try these recipes next:
- Thai Chicken with Peanut Sauce
- Balsamic Chicken Sheet Pan
- Chicken and Squash Curry
- Harissa Chicken and Potatoes
What is diavolo sauce?
Fra diavolo is a spicy Italian-American sauce typically used for pasta or seafood. However, in this version we are using it for tender baked chicken thighs or breasts.
Most versions of diavolo sauce are tomato-based and seasoned with red chili peppers for spice. But, the term is also used for other sauces that include no tomato or use other forms of pepper, such as cayenne.
This diavolo sauce recipe uses both tomato paste and chili peppers, as well as other flavoring ingredients to create a sauce that is intensely flavorful and also doubles as a marinade!
How to pronounce fra diavolo?
Fra diavolo is Italian for “Brother Devil“. The phonetic spelling is fra-dià-vo-lo.
Ingredients for chicken diavolo
- Chicken: breasts or thighs
- Red Bell Pepper
- Red Jalapeno Chili Peppers
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Pantry Spices: onion powder and smoked paprika
- Fresh Parsley
FAQs: frequently asked questions
Is fra diavolo spicy?
Diavolo sauce can range from very mildly spicy to fiery hot. This diavolo is moderately spicy, however the heat level can easily be adjusted to taste!
To customize the spice level
- To increase heat: Leave the seeds and ribs in the chili pepper. Use more chili peppers or add crushed red pepper flakes.
- To decrease heat: Remove all seeds and ribs from the chili pepper. Cut the amount of chili pepper in half or only use a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
Can I use chicken breasts or thighs?
Dark chicken meat is the most succulent and tender. As a result, chicken thighs will yield the most flavorful diavolo recipe. However, you can absolutely use chicken breasts if that is what you have on hand, or if you simply prefer white meat!
How to make chicken fra diavolo
This chicken diavolo is incredibly simple to prepare! And, you can easily to customize the level of spicy heat to your specific taste!
- Make the Fra Diavolo Marinade: In the bowl of a food processor add the bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, tomato paste, onion powder, paprika, lemon juice, and salt. Process until chunky. With the processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil. Process until smooth. Stir in the parsley. Set aside.
- Marinate the Chicken: Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and set aside for serving. Transfer the remaining marinade to a large resealable bag or bowl. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Transfer to the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to the prepared baking sheet, letting excess marinade drain off (Discard excess marinade). Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake the chicken for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile: Place broccoli in a bowl and toss with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the 10 minutes is up, add the broccoli to the pan. Continue to cook the chicken for 10 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Remove broccoli and add cheese: Remove the broccoli from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Switch the oven to (high) broil. Add burrata to the top of the chicken thighs.
- Return the chicken to the oven. Broil for 2 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through.
- To serve: Transfer chicken to the serving plate with broccolini. Serve with remaining sauce on the side. Enjoy!
See, you’ve totally got this! Easy weeknight (or even weekend) chicken dinner winner going on right here!
Tips for the best diavolo chicken
- Chicken breasts or thighs: You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts in this recipe.
- Broccoli: Broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and kale. It is slightly sweeter and more tender than broccoli. It pairs perfectly with the spicy sauce! You can use either broccolini or broccoli. If using regular broccoli, cut it into florets and add them to the sheet pan at the very beginning of baking (along with the raw, marinated chicken). Regular broccoli takes longer than broccolini to roast.
- Jalapenos: The recipe below calls for 2 red jalapenos, or chilis. However, you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes if that’s what you have on hand. Start with 1 teaspoon, and add more (up to 2 teaspoons) to taste.
- Spice level: For a spicy marinade leave the seeds and ribs in the chilis, or use the full 2 teaspoons or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Marinating time: Marinating the chicken is a must! While you can get away with only marinating it for 4 hours, I urge you to marinate it overnight for the most flavor!
- Melty cheese: Broiling the chicken to melt the burrata at the end of cooking is optional, but highly recommended. Make sure you watch the cheese closely when you are broiling the chicken! The cheese can go from perfectly melted to burned in a flash! It should only take a minute to two minutes to melt the cheese. However, you can just serve the chicken topped with thin slices of creamy burrata if desired and skip the broiling process all together.
Step by step photos: making diavolo recipe at home
(Scroll down for the detailed measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.)
Serving spicy chicken diavolo
This chicken fra diavolo goes well with pretty much any side dish! However, keep in mind this chicken is slightly spicy. I suggest pairing it with a mild or fresh, crisp side to balance the flavors and compliment the textures!
- Fresh salad: Crisp greens will provide a delicious and cooling compliment to this fiery dish!
- Soup: Any lighter Italian soup would pair well!
- Crusty Bread: Toasted Artisan bread is a must for sopping up the sauce!
- Pasta: Diavolo is commonly served with pasta. Soft, delicate noodles perfectly balance the spicy flavors!
- Veggie noodles: If you are looking to lighten things up, vegetable noodles are a delicious option!
- Sauteed peppers and onions: Tender, crisp sweet bell peppers and mild onions are a wonderful combination!
Sheet pan dinners don’t have to be boring! Make your next weeknight dinner cozy, delicious AND insanely easy with this Baked Chicken Fra Diavolo.
Until Thursday friends, cheers – to sheet pan dinners, easy to cook and even easier to clean up.
XOXO
Cheyanne
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More easy chicken thigh dinner recipes!
How to make Chicken Fra Diavolo recipe and Step-by-Step Video👇
Chicken Fra Diavolo
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor (for making diavolo sauce)
- 1 Large Bowl or Resealable Bag (for marinating chicken)
Ingredients
- 5-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs (about 1 ½ pounds)
- 1 Pound Broccoli or Broccolini
- 4 ounces Burrata Cheese – sliced into 5-6 pieces
- Kosher Salt and Ground Black Pepper - to taste
Fra Diavolo Marinade: (yield – about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper – seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 Red Jalapenos – partially seeded and roughly chopped (SEE NOTES)
- 6 Cloves Garlic – smashed and peeled
- 1 TBS Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp EACH: Onion Powder & Smoked Paprika
- ½ Lemon – juiced (about 1 TBS)
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil - plus more for drizzling
- 1 TBS Flat Leaf Parsley - packed & finely chopped
Optional Garnishes & Serving Suggestions: Fresh Parsley, Crushed Pepper Flakes, Vine Ripe Cherry Tomatoes, Crusty Bread
Instructions
- Make the Fra Diavolo Marinade: In the bowl of a food processor add the bell peppers, jalapeno, garlic, tomato paste, onion powder, paprika, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until chunky and sauce-like, about 1-2 minutes. With the processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil. Process until smooth. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Marinate the Chicken: Reserve 1/3 cup of the marinade and set aside for serving. Transfer the remaining marinade to a large resealable bag or plastic container. Add the chicken thighs and turn to coat completely. Transfer to the refrigerator and let the chicken marinate for at least 4 hours, or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to the prepared baking sheet, letting excess marinade drain off (Discard excess marinade). Season with salt and pepper.
- Bake the chicken for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile: Toss the broccolini with two tablespoons of oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper.
- When the 10 minutes is up, add the broccolini to the pan. Continue to roast the chicken for 10-12 minutes or until the chicken is almost done cooking and the broccoli is tender.
- Remove the broccolini to a serving plate and switch the oven to (high) broil*. Top the chicken with burrata.
- Return the chicken to the oven and broil, watching very CAREFULLY, for 2 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the cheese is melted.
- To serve: Transfer chicken to the serving plate with broccolini. Garnish with a few pinches of red pepper flakes and parsley and serve with remaining Fra Diavolo sauce on the side. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can substitute chicken breasts if white meat is your thing.
- Broccoli: Broccolini is a hybrid of broccoli and kale, and to me it tastes a bit sweeter and tenderer than broccoli. If you’ve never had broccolini, I highly recommend you try it! But, if you would like to substitute regular broccoli, feel free. Just make sure you cut it into florets, and add them to the sheet pan at the beginning (with the raw chicken thighs), because broccoli will take the full 25 minutes to roast. Since you won’t be breaking the cook time up into 2-10 minute intervals, just rotate the sheet pan halfway through cooking.
- Jalapenos: The recipe below calls for 1-2 red jalapenos, or chilis, but you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes if that’s what you have on hand. Start with 1 teaspoon, and add more (up to 2 teaspoons) to taste. If using jalapenos, use 1 jalapeno for a more mild diavolo and 2 for a spicier sauce.
- Fra Diavolo Marinade: For spicy marinade leave the seeds in the chilis, or use the full 2 teaspoons or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Broiling the chicken to melt the burrata is optional, but recommended.
Nutrition
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I’ve never heard of chicken Fra Diavolo but now I need it in my life! That is one sexy sauce and it looks crazy easy to make. I bet it would be delicious on fish also. Oh, I love roasted broccoli, omg is that cheese?? Yes yes Yes yes yes!
I am so glad you reposted this one! Cheyanne – that video! Fantastic video – and I had no idea what fra diavolo sauce was up until today – it’s so tasty sounding and perfect pairing with chicken thighs! Happy Tuesday, firned! Hoping this week is wonderful for you! xoxo
Totally loved this one the first time around Chey! Tom and I love Fra Diavolo dishes and add some burrata and it’s game over! Soooo good! Have an awesome week!
You are the burrata queen, Chey! You know I’m obsessed with the stuff and now I’m totally craving this for dinner. I love anything with a kick to it too, so I know this is right up my alley! Have a great week, girlie!
Shrimp fra diavolo is one of my all time fav dishes so I’m loving your chicken one. Especially since it has has burrata in it! I could put that creamy dreamy cheese on everything. So dang good. Pinning and making soon (J’s gonna love it too!) 🙂
I’ve pinned your dish, I know my husband will love it.
That marinade looks to die for Cheyanne! So much flavor and I totally love sheet pan meals!!
I’m loving sheet pan dinners right now and did you say, burrata? I’m in! Love the flavors going on here, Cheyanne!
Fra Diavolo is one of my absolute favorite Italian dishes! The fact that you combined it with chicken thighs, burrata and broccolini has me DROOLING. Gotta have this ASAP! Great sheet pan dinner, Cheyanne… pinned! 🙂
This looks outstanding and packed with all sorts of deliciousness! Spicy action from the jalapenos and that burrata to cool things off. Love the one pan meal here. Pinned and on my list. Really. Wow!
I love sheet pan meals, especially those including chicken thighs. And I make them really often, because whenever I ask my daughter what she would like to eat, 80% of the times she would say baked chicken legs. So I need lots of recipes from keeping the baked chicken legs from becoming boring. 🙂 Your pictures are so beautiful!
Love that this is easy but still looks so upscale. Pinned. Thanks.
Ooh, I love all of the jalapeño action going on in this marinade. Yum!
I’ll be honest, when I first clicked on this post I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Now I’m completely and totally obsessing over this perfect dinner. Cannot WAIT to try this!
love the way you have presented the dish Chey! sounds great!
Easy is what I need! I love having great meals that are fast and easy. The weeknights just get too crazy busy. This marinade looks amazing! This dish is going on the menu! 🙂
I am loving that sauce cuz we like all things spicy. What a great idea! That gooey cheese really takes it over the top!
Chey, this is outrageous! 14 ingredients instead of 10 or less. I’ve counted. And you know, it’s quite hard at 6 a.m. to me. I’m going to complain about you not keeping your resolution! Do you know by any chance where can file my complain?:) Also, this recipe sounds (and looks) outrageously delicious. There’s a deal – if you send me a container of this chicken, I might consider not filing a complaint:)
Woot woot to gettin’ your grub on! 😉 I’m giving ya all the food and then some! Of course you totally worked this weekend! By “healthy balance” I hope you mean that you didn’t work at all. Ahem. 😉 This recipe looks amazing, Chey! Ya know, I’ve been so intrigued about sheet pan recipes–and if there’s one person who can totally nail it, it’s you! (Oh, and make it look like an actual painting that belongs in the Louvre). Hope you have an awesome week my dear! Muah! xoxoxoxo
Such a gorgeous and creative dish! Just got chicken thighs and will definitely try it! No diets for me either, I can’t follow them …
Hi Cheyanne – What a great sheet pan dinner my friend. You got my number here. Love the homemade marinade. And anything chicken thighs is WONDERFUL. They are so tender and flavorful and I like their size and price! This is a super meal for a busy mama like me, and thankfully all my kids (well, not Hudson)…ALMOST all my kids love broccolini. Thanks for a great new recipe my friend, hope life is treating you well…we are just receiving a storm that has come up the coast from your neck of the woods…we are getting snow and ice, but mostly ice. So I’m really hoping we don’t lose power with downed branches. You know how that goes. Have a great week! XOXO
Shrimp Fra Diavolo is one of our favorite meals Chey, so I know we’re going to love this chicken version! Great idea to add the burrata, one of my faves too. Sounds like a delicious way to spice up my week. Can’t wait to try!
Love everything about this sheet pan dinner, from the spicy chicken to the burrata and the bright broccolini. And of course, stupid easy is just what I’m needing 🙂
I’m pretty sure my heart is made of burrata cheese. I absolutely cannot get enough of it. It is so creamy and decadent I would just eat it plain. Add it on chicken and it’s even better!
Did you say burrata? Count me in! That’s one of my most guilty pleasures, and this dish looks insanely elegant yet easy! My family would be so into this and I can’t wait to try it!
Burrata? Broccolini? Chicken thighs? Fra Diavolo? I think I could make a song out of these delicious words! Thanks for sharing a sheet pan meal that’s not only ready in no time but positively scrumptious!! Cheers! xo
this marinade sounds delicious!! i can imagine doubling it and serving it with pasta and veggies (: and love that you used chicken thighs; they’re so much more forgiving than breasts!
#gimmealldatfood BEST HASHTAG EVER!!!!! I love your endless rambling keep it coming, Cheyanne. You are making me dust off my food processor, which has been collecting dust since I moved to my new apartment eight months ago. This marinade looks divine; I’ll let you know who it turns out since I’ll be making it with some seafood instead of chicken. MMMMMMMMM wish I were eating your broccolini right now
The marinade is awesome, Cheyanne – I could eat it with a spoon. Sooo good. And I’ll take all the broccolini you have – it’s one of my favorites to make. Roasting veggies gives them so much flavor – love it! Hope you have a great week!
Hey Chey!! good morning to ya! I loved that you used chicken thighs, they are so flavorful! I am a fan of burrata and love broccolini! so I could definitely cook up these beauties for on super fast and easy dinner this week! Cheers!
I’m all in for an easy sheet pan dinner at the end of a busy day. This chicken looks so good with that burrata and I would so rather have thighs than white meat! Happy Monday, Chey! Pinned!
Happy Monday, Cheyanne! Hope you had a great weekend. I don’t do diets either, so I’m just plugging along like normal, but trying to eat a little healthier. This chicken is calling my name! I am the biggest burrata fan, so I’m loving that you used it on this chicken! And broccolini, yes please! Looks SO good! Pinned, of course! Hope your Monday is off to a good start!
We had a bunch of snow this weekend so it was a great excuse to stay inside, cook and eat! Twist my arm, lol 😀 Sheet pan dinners are my jam and I love anything with spice so this is totally calling my name. Plus, burrata? Extra for me please! That stuff is dangerously good! Pinned! Have a wonderful week, girlie!!
Good morning! We are definitely still on our January Whole 30 detox, and my humble chicken sheet pan dinner that we have been having weekly hangs its head in shame next to this chicken sheet pan GLORIOUSNESS! As soon as February hits we are trading mine in for yours because burrata….YUM!! Have a delicious Monday, my friend – I’m going off to pin this loveliness!
You know I love an easy dinner and you know I”m all about some spice, so this is right up my alley! Those chicken thighs look so packed with flavor and then that gooey cheese on top?! Also, broccolini is one of our favorite veggies, so this is definitely going on the menu soon. Pinned! Have a wonderful week!
I am LOVING those sheet pan dinners Cheyanne! Adding burrata on top of the chicken? Genius! I’m a big fan of roasted broccoli (or any roasted veg, you know me) so I sure as hell have gotta try this one. Enjoy your week!
I wish I could cook half as good as you, Chey. These baked marinated chicken thighs look so inviting with burrata and broccolini.