This Chicken Murphy recipe is a tasty dinner that blends sausage and peppers with chicken and potatoes covered in a spicy tomato sauce.
Growing up in the New Jersey-New York area, I was lucky to have been exposed to a variety of regional dishes. Chicken Murphy is one of those incredible dishes. It’s savory and spicy all in one bite.
If you are looking for a less spicy version of Chicken Murphy, try Chicken Giambotta, a similar, less spicy tomato-free chicken recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is the perfect recipe to make ahead of time. Prepare a large batch, and pop it in the oven when it’s time to eat.
- It is perfect for weekend family dinners or entertaining.
- Flavor! It has the perfect balance of spicy, savory and salty.
Here is What You Will Need
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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down to see ingredient notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and complete cooking instructions.
olive oil
boneless chicken breasts or tenders
sweet or hot Italian sausage
potatoes
cremini mushrooms
garlic
onion
bell peppers (red, green or orange)
diced tomatoes
pepperoncini + brine
Here Is How To Make The Best Chicken Murphy
Get all of the ingredients ready: cut the onions, garlic mushrooms, potatoes and peppers.
Measure the tomatoes, pepperoncini and brine.
Grab a casserole dish or bowl to put the cooked ingredients in, and heat the oil in a skillet.
Note: if you have a large skillet you can double up on the vegetables when browning them.
Step 1. Brown the sausage links in a skillet. Once they turn brown, remove them from the heat and place in a baking dish.
Step 2. Next, brown the chicken in a skillet. Once it’s cooked add it to the dish with the chicken.
Step 3. Brown the onions and garlic and add them to the chicken and sausage.
Step 4. Brown the peppers, and then the mushrooms and add them to the chicken sausage mixture.
Step 5. Cook the potatoes in the skillet. once they are brown, add them to the chicken, sausage and vegetables.
Step 6. At this point, return all of the ingredients to the skillet or a casserole dish and top with hot peppers and brine.
Step 7. Pour the tomatoes over the top, cover, and bake.
Estimated Time To Make This Recipe: 1 ½ to 2 hours
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Chicken – This dish is typically made with boneless chicken breasts. Chicken tenders can also be used as well as boneless chicken thighs. I like to use chicken breasts from ButcherBox.
Potatoes – Any type of potato can be used in this recipe, we like yellow or red or baby potatoes the best.
Pepperoncini – If you don’t care for hot food, you can cut back on the number of pepperoncini or you can substitute pepperoncini with peppadew peppers or sweet cherry peppers.
Sausage – Pork, turkey or chicken sausage can be used.
Make it in a Slow Cooker
If you are short on oven space or it’s too hot to turn on the oven, you can finish chicken murphy in a slow cooker. Here’s how:
Once all of the ingredients have been browned on top of the stove, add them to the slow cooker and cook at low heat for 2 hours.
Set the slow cooker to warm until it is time to serve.
Tip! To avoid potatoes that fall apart, add them to the top layer of the slow cooker and cook for 2 hours. Stir the potatoes into the murphy at the end of the cooking cycle, and set the slow cooker to low for 30 minutes before serving.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Chicken murphy can easily be made ahead of time, here’s how:
Brown all of the ingredients and place them into an airtight container. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
To Serve, bring the browned ingredients to room temperature, and place them into an oven-proof dish or slow cooker.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or slow cook for 2 hours.
“I’ve eaten this dish many times in NJ. Searched for the best recipe and yours makes the most sense and tastes like the most authentic chicken murphy recipe. Thanks!”
Storing and Using Leftovers
Store leftover chicken murphy in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Reheat leftovers in a covered oven-proof dish or on top fo the stove over low heat.
Serve leftover chicken muphy in a sandwich in a crusty baguette or your favorite hard roll.
Recipe Variations
Low-carb Chicken Murphy – Leave the potatoes out.
Leave out the sausage – If you don’t like sausage, you can leave it out and add an extra ¼ pound of chicken.
Serving Suggestions
Serve it with a big salad like this Spinach Salad with Basil, steamed green beans or Green Beans and Bacon, and a loaf of crusty bread.
Chicken Murphy also tastes great served over a bed of zucchini noodles.
Chicken Murphy with pasta – leave out the potatoes or use less of them and serve Chicken Murphy over pasta.
Your Chicken Murphy Questions Answered
You might be thinking from its name, that this recipe is an Irish recipe. Actually it’s an Italian-inspired dish that is rumored to have originated at the “Jersey Shore” or New York City. It’s easy to make and there are several variations. Some recipes are made with brown gravy, but we prefer the tomato version.
Each ingredient is browned separately to avoid overcrowding the skillet. If your skillet is larger than 9 inches, you can brown the vegetables together in any combination that you like.
Yes, especially the tomatoes to keep the dish from becoming dry. Depending on the amount of meat added (up to a quarter pound), you may not need to increase the vegetables.
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Chicken Murphy
This Chicken Murphy recipe is made with bite-sized pieces of chicken and sausage combined with peppers and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders cut into one inch chunks
- ¼ pound Sweet or Hot Italian Sausage links (about 2)
- 1 ½ pounds potatoes, cut into one-inch sized pieces
- 16 ounces of cremini mushrooms, stems removed and sliced into quarters
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 medium onion, cut into slices
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 cup fresh diced tomatoes or no salt or sugar added canned tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped pepperoncini
- ¼ cup of brine of pepperoncini
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients: cut up the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Clean and slice the mushrooms, onions, and peppers. Chop the garlic. Slice the pepperoncini and measure the brine.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium to high heat, brown the sausage links, slice them and set them aside to drain on a paper towel.
- Brown the chicken and cook for 5 to 8 minutes on each side until it begins to turn golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the skillet; cut it into bite-sized pieces and add it to the dish with the sausage.
- Next add the onions and garlic and cook them quickly until they begin to turn golden on the outside, remove and add them to the dish with the chicken and sausage.
- Next brown the mushrooms, then the peppers and add them to the dish with the other ingredients.
- Last, cook the potatoes until they become golden brown, remove them from the heat, and add them to the dish/pan with the other ingredients.
- Pour on the hot peppers, brine and tomatoes; cover and bake for 45 minutes at 350.
- Uncover and cook for 10 minutes longer.
Notes
Chicken Murphy in a Slow Cooker:
After browning the ingredients, place them into a slow cooker and cook at low heat for 2 hours.
Cooking time for this recipe is about 40 to 50 minutes browning each ingredient PLUS an additional 45 minutes in the oven.
I like to brown the ingredients separately in a skillet before layering them into a casserole dish so that the skillet is not crowded with the vegetables. If you are short on time or have a large skillet, you can brown the vegetable ingredients together in any combination that you like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 367Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 676mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 34g
Nutrition information is provided by an online calculator and is meant to be used for informational purposes only. Even though I try to provide accurate information, these figures should still be considered as estimates.
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I’ve eaten this dish many times in NJ. Searched for the best recipe and yours makes the most sense and tastes the most authentic. Thanks!
Hi Bob, thanks for your comment! I’m glad you like it!