It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does it’s a beautiful thing. You serve a new dish to your family and everyone unanimously proclaims it a hit. It can be hard enough getting everyone to sit at the table at once, let alone agreeing to eat the same thing. Hallelujah! You thank the kitchen gods for smiling down on you and instantly place that recipe in your repertoire. When I first watched Lidia Bastianich prepare this dish on her PBS cooking show many years ago, I knew it was a winner–I was immediately impressed by its simplicity. Only a few ingredients, yet so well balanced, it represents all that is great about Italian cooking. An instant classic in our household, it is affectionately known around these parts as Lidia’s Chicken. Easy enough to prepare on weeknights or impressive enough to serve when company comes a-knocking. And, miracle of miracles, everyone is happy…don’t you love it when that happens?
Lidia’s Chicken
Chicken, sausage and potatoes make a wonderfully hearty combination. To give the dish some zing, lots of garlic cloves, fragrant stalks of fresh rosemary and red wine vinegar round out the sauce. All this dinner needs is a roasted vegetable or simple green salad on the side and it’s a meal fit for a king–or a family.
You’ll need a roasting pan or a large baking dish for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice sweet Italian sausage into bite-sized chunks. I like the kind with fennel seeds, but use what you prefer.
Warm a large pan over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the chunks until browned on all sides, turning frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausages to the roasting pan using a slotted spoon.
Buy chicken that’s been cut into 8 pieces. Cut the breasts and wings in half, so you’ll have 12 pieces total. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels so they won’t splatter when they sauté. Season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Raise the heat to medium high and brown the chicken in batches, placing the pieces skin side down in the pan first. Sauté for about 8 minutes on each side. Transfer to the roasting pan.
Wash and dry the new potatoes and cut in half. Place them cut side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the peeled garlic cloves to the pan in the last two minutes of sautéing. Add the potatoes and garlic to the roasting pan when done. Reserve the sauté pan.
Scatter sprigs of rosemary over the roasting pan, drizzle all with olive oil, and season lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 15 minutes.
Bring the heat back to medium under the sauté pan. Once the pan is hot, add the red wine vinegar and, using a spoon, scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Pour the vinegar mixture over the chicken, and give all the pieces a good stir. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for another 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
Remove the sausage, chicken, potatoes and garlic from the pan and place on a platter. Discard the rosemary sprigs. Prop up the pan and allow the sauce to rest. Using a large spoon, skim away the excess fat. Spoon the sauce over the meat and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Dig in, y’all!
Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Serves 6:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
4 1/2 pound chicken, cut up
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
8 to 10 garlic cloves, peeled
4 or 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil for drizzle
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Pour the vinegar mixture over the chicken, and give all the pieces a good stir. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast for another 15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
this chicken dish does look delish! great pics.
Thank you, Dina! It’s even more delicious than it looks.