Chicken Canzanese

If you're hungering for a new chicken recipe packed with flavor, look no further. The prosciutto (or bacon), garlic, wine and herbs in this dish combine to make a very bold and satisfying sauce (and the chicken is moist and juicy).

You can see in this photo that I accidentally reduced my sauce too much (it's kind of clumpy and separating a little). What can I say? I guess that kind of thing will happen when you try to cook dinner while you help your daughter with her homework, make her lunch for the next day and answer the phone all at the same time. The good news is, the flavor only gets more intense, so it's only bad news for the photo. 

CHICKEN CANZANESE

Serves 4 to 6

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 oz. prosciutto (1/4” thick), cut into 1/4" cubes (can substitute thick cut pancetta or bacon)

4 garlic cloves, sliced thin lengthwise

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 lb.), trimmed of excess fat and skin

freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

2 cups dry white wine

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

4 whole cloves

1 (4-inch) sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed & minced fine (about 1/2 tsp.), stem reserved

12 whole fresh sage leaves

2 bay leaves

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt

1.      Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed oven safe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1 ½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and prosciutto to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

2.     Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

3.      Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine and broth; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, rosemary stem, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

4.     Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1 ¼ cups, about 5-8 minutes. Off heat, stir in minced rosemary, lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve.

recipe from Cook's Illustrated, May 2010

sliced garlic

I used thick-cut bacon

bacon and garlic cooking

cooking the chicken

You'll notice some of the skin stuck to the pan and ripped
(again, not great for photos, but any skin left behind in the pan
just went on to make the sauce that much more flavorful)

flour added

wine and broth added

fresh sage

fresh rosemary

everything added (except the chicken)

chicken added

chicken done

A