Chicken With Summer Vegetables

It's easy to give all the summer dinner glory to the grill. But on a weeknight in the thick of August heat, the real MVP is a skillet dinner, like this satisfying summer chicken and vegetable dish. This one-pan meal is packed with the flavors of summer, without requiring you to stand over a flame in the sun.

This chicken and summer vegetable skillet, developed by Craig Ruff in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, quickly became a favorite of everyone who tried it during recipe testing. It hits all the right notes for a satisfying warm-weather supper: smoky and juicy chicken, caramelized sweet peppers, charred cherry tomatoes that pop in your mouth, and a duo of sauces that dial the flavor up without weighing the dish down. As a bonus, it comes together in under an hour, with a tidy enough prep-and-cook rhythm that it feels manageable for any night of the week.

The Flavor Profile That Makes This Skillet Chicken Dinner Stand Out

While the produce in this skillet might look familiar, its flavor profile is what sets it apart. Craig intentionally leans into what he calls "Spanish flavor notes"—layers of smoke, gentle sweetness, and herby brightness. Instead of the summer produce trifecta of zucchini, corn, and eggplant, this recipe centers on bell peppers and cherry tomatoes, coaxed into complexity by high heat, smoky paprika, and a splash of sherry.

How to Build Layers of Flavor in One Skillet

From a technique perspective, this dish is all about layering bold flavor in a single skillet, without a grill in sight. The chicken sears until the skin crisps and the paprika blooms in the fat, giving everything in the pan its smoky backbone. Then, the whole skillet goes into a hot oven for a quick roast. This lets the vegetables slump luxuriously and the chicken finish cooking gently, staying moist and tender. Meanwhile, you've got just enough time while the dinner roasts to throw together the sauce—or rather, sauces. 

Add Big Flavor with Two Easy Sauces

One of the elements that makes this dinner feel so special is the combo of sauces you serve it with: a smoky-sharp charred shishito sauce and a silky, fortified pan sauce made from the fond and juices left in the pan after roasting the chicken and vegetables. This two-sauce move feels cheffy, but it's incredibly easy to pull off, as our editorial director, Daniel, explains in his article about this chefs' cheat code for elevating any dish. 

The shishito sauce is Craig's playful riff on a classic summer green sauce. He chars whole shishitos and scallion greens until blistered, then chops them finely and folds in cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil. The result is a bright, grassy, smoky condiment that cuts through the sweetness of the tomatoes and peppers.

The second sauce is a pan reduction made with a splash of dry sherry (or even a crisp white wine in a pinch) and a knob of butter. It's quick, but concentrated, and gets drizzled over the chicken and vegetables just before serving, sealing the whole thing with a glossy, restaurant-level finish. A skillet dinner this layered and lively deserves a spot in the weeknight rotation, no grill required.