Braised Chicken with Salami and Olives
I first made this dish when I was pregnant with my son Jack. I really wanted salami but they caution you against it when you’re preggers and tell you the only way to eat it is if you cook it, so I found a way. This recipe comes from the New York Times (one of my favorite places to get recipes) and involves little prep. It’s great for a weekend meal, or with some light morning prep you could definitely make this on a weeknight. The result is tender melt-in-your-mouth chicken with salty bites of salami and olive. And, the bits of chicken that are above the sauce in the oven stay super crispy. Yum!!!
If you have the time, season the chicken in the morning with kosher salt and let sit on a sheet tray uncovered in the fridge. Then take it out a half hour before cooking so it comes to room temp and follow the recipe as is. Pre-salting it will allow the salt to season the inside of the chicken.
Servings 4-6
Time 2 1/2 hours
Source: NY Times Kim Severson
Ingredients:
1 (3 1/2-4 lb) chicken cut into 10 pieces (or 3 pounds of bone-in skin-on chicken thighs)
Kosher salt
black pepper
3 tbl olive oil
1 medium onion thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1/2 of a fennel bulb thinly sliced
1 rosemary branch (about 8 inches)
1 1/4 cup of diced salami
1 cup green olives pitted, rinsed and halved
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup of white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio work well)
2 tbl of tomato paste
2 tbl flour
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
The juice from 1 lemon
Ok, so what you do is:
Preheat your oven to 375F
Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.
Heat a cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Add the olive oil and when it’s shimmering add the chicken in batches skin side down. Brown both sides about 7-8 min per side.
Add browned chicken to a 9x13 inch baking dish, or a large shallow casserole dish.
When the chicken is done, add the onions to the chicken fat and stir occasionally until onion is browned, about 4 minutes. Next add the garlic, fennel, rosemary, oregano, salami, olives, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt.
Add the wine and simmer while scraping up any bits on the bottom of the pan, until reduced and the taste of alcohol is gone.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes. Season again with a pinch of salt. Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes.
Next, slowly add the chicken broth while stirring to make sure there are no lumps from the flour. Simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the bay leaves and lemon juice, taste and add salt if necessary.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, and place in the oven for 90 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce every half hour. When done, the chicken should be tender and there should be some browning on top.
Serve with rice or toasted bread and olive oil.
