Easy Dinner with Canned Tomatoes: One-Pan Sofrito Chicken

When you need an easy dinner with canned tomatoes and a rotisserie chicken sitting in the fridge, this one-pan sofrito chicken is your answer. It comes together in 30 minutes with pantry staples and hits like something your abuela spent all afternoon making. This is exactly the kind of meal Improv Oven was built for — big flavor, tiny budget, zero stress.

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 oz) whole or crushed canned tomatoes
• 1.5 lbs bone-in chicken thighs (about 4 pieces)
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, but do it)
• Fresh cilantro or parsley for serving
• White rice or crusty bread for serving

Instructions

1. 1Pat your chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season both sides generously with salt, pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Drying them first is what gets you that golden sear — don't skip it.
2. 2Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wide saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it's shimmering, lay the chicken thighs in skin-side down. Let them cook undisturbed for 5-6 minutes until the skin is deep golden and releases easily from the pan. Flip and cook the other side for 3 more minutes. Remove chicken to a plate — it won't be fully cooked yet and that's totally fine.
3. 3Lower the heat to medium. In the same pan with all those beautiful drippings, add your diced onion and green bell pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to get a little color on the edges.
4. 4Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. You'll smell when it's ready — trust your nose.
5. 5Pour in the canned tomatoes. If you're using whole tomatoes, crush them right in the pan with a wooden spoon or just squeeze them with your hand before they go in (over the sink, not over your shirt). Add the dried oregano, stir everything together, and taste for salt.
6. 6Nestle the chicken thighs back into the tomato sauce, skin-side up so it stays a little crispy. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let everything simmer together for 15-18 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened up and gotten gorgeous.
7. 7Serve over white rice or with crusty bread to catch all that sauce. Hit it with fresh cilantro or parsley and a squeeze of lime if you have one kicking around. Eat immediately and feel like a champion.