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Roman-style chicken and bell peppers
Erica Foffi in her kitchen, showing the Roman-style chicken and bell pepper dish.
: Anthony Lippa-Hardy/The Green Line.
SAHAANA RANGANATHAN
Toronto Metropolitan University Master of Journalism graduate with a passion for community-based storytelling. Currently living in the Annex. Always down to get matcha or milk tea.
ANTHONY LIPPA-HARDY
Mississauga native currently studying journalism at Toronto Metropolitan University. Loves to explore different visual mediums to tell impactful stories that need to be seen.
Sept. 17, 2025
With files from Lucas Bustinski and Amartya Smaran.
Ever craved some Italian food but never quite enough to break the bank over a fancy meal?
Italian home cook, Erica Foffi is here to make Italian cuisine affordable.
Foffi moved to Toronto from Rome two years ago and has been sharing her passion for her cuisine ever since.
The recipe she’s sharing — pollo ai peperoni alla Romana, or Roman-style chicken and bell peppers — is a typical summer dish in Rome, and perfect for your next dinner party.
“I think that the joy of cooking is also if that meal is shared," Foffi says, adding that food can help you gather with friends that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see.
You can watch Foffi make her recipe in the video, download a PDF of the recipe, or scroll down for the step-by-step instructions.
Ingredients
To make this recipe, you'll need:
- 1.5 kg Chicken drumsticks and thighs, skin-on
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 can (400g) of peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Fresh basil leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt
- (Optional) White wine, for deglazing
Erica Foffi in her kitchen, showing the ingredients for the Roman-style chicken and pepper dish.
: Anthony Lippa-Hardy/The Green Line.
Step 1: Prepare the vegetables
Cut the bell peppers into thin strips.
Thinly slice the onion and crush the garlic.
Set aside.
Step 2: Brown the chicken
In a large cast iron or non-stick pan, heat a little bit of olive oil.
Add the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides until the skin is golden and crispy (about 20 minutes).
Remove the chicken and set it aside in a bowl.
Optional step
Add a splash of white wine to the hot pan to deglaze, scraping up any flavourful bits from the bottom. Pour this liquid over the chicken.
Step 3: Start the sauce
In the same pan, heat a bit more olive oil. Add the garlic, sliced onion, basil leaves and the sliced bell peppers.
Cook for 5–7 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes
Pour the canned peeled tomatoes over the vegetables and crush them slightly with a spoon.
Stir, season with salt and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Step 5: Simmer the chicken
Return the chicken (and any juices) to the pan.
Stir gently, cover partially with a lid and let it cook over medium-low heat for about 30–40 minutes — just until the chicken is tender and the sauce is rich and flavourful.
Step 6: Serve
Serve warm, with plenty of sauce and peppers spooned over the chicken. It is best served with rustic bread.
Cost breakdown
Grocery prices will vary from one store to the other, so the costs below are just an estimate.
- A pack of chicken drumsticks - $8
- A pack of chicken thighs - $12
- A bag of red and yellow bell peppers - $3.44
- 1 can of peeled tomatoes (400 g) - $4.77
- 1 onion $1.88
- Garlic - $1.31
- Fresh basil leaves - $1.97
- A bottle of extra virgin olive oil - $14
- 1kg of salt - $1.68
- (Optional) A bottle of white wine - $10
About the chef
Erica Foffi is a home cook from Rome.
When she moved to Toronto two years ago, she noticed that many people loved Italian food but couldn't afford it because a lot of Italian restaurants are fine dining. She found that people are willing to learn traditional recipes that they can make at home, so she started giving cooking classes.
She says a common mistake that home cooks make is sacrificing the quality of the ingredients for better cost. Since fresh, high quality ingredients might be expensive, she suggests smart shopping strategies, such as buying whole fruits and vegetables instead of pre-cut packages.
For her, the joy of food is also in sharing it.
“I always use cooking and preparing food as a way to interact and gather with others, especially when I was in Italy with my friends and family," says Foffi.
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