My husband proposed to me in a beautiful little Italian restaurant, at a private table tucked away in the wine cellar. (Not the dark, damp wine cellar you might be thinking of. More of a partially below ground room with lovely wrought iron racks of wine and ambient lighting). Does that man know me or what? I actually can’t remember what we ate that night, though I’m pretty sure we had a multi course dinner. I believe I might have a menu, specially printed for the evening, tucked away in a scrap book somewhere. But beside these little recollections the food and wine is a blur. I knew he was going to propose that night and despite my deep love of Italian food I just couldn’t concentrate on anything else other then that impending proposal.
My husband and I have been happily married for several years now. And most fortunately he has taken me back to that wonderful little place at a time when my brains weren’t leaking out my ears. I tried fried risotto balls, raviolis, Italian sausage, but strangely enough the dish that sticks out to me the most was a half of a roasted chicken that was served in it’s own pan sauce with Kalamata olives. To let you in on a little secret, while I make a mean roast chicken, it’s honestly not my favorite dish. For me roast chicken is usually just too bland. But this chicken was different. It was that pan sauce. It was a rich brown sauce, and was distinctly flavored with those briny, salty Kalamata and a pinch of herbs. Yet it didn’t over power with salt. I wanted to just take a bath in that gravy. My husband and I sopped up every last drip with the mashed potatoes, bread, and maybe even a risotto ball left from our appetizer. Then we asked for more gravy. I would almost drink that stuff straight. (Actually my oldest son loves gravy so much he will in fact drink it, like… in a glass.)
I’ve been wanting to reproduce that roast chicken, and most of all that pan sauce for years now. I’ve attempted from time to time and never quite managed. But I have gotten much much better at roasting chicken. In fact I can now achieve that perfectly crisp skin and keep the meat (breast included) moist and tender inside, it’s simpler then you might imagine (and a nice brine doesn’t ever hurt the matter if you have enough time). But I digress: I noticed as I was flipping through Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking that there are two mighty fine looking recipes for roast chicken. Since I have the crispy/moist/tender thing down I decided to give that mythical chicken with olives another go using Essentials as a jumping point for my experiment.
I came up with the recipe I’m sharing with you today, which is really fantastic. The problem is I haven’t been back to that restaurant in quite a long time, so I honestly can’t remember if it replicates the original dish. I guess that’s only a problem for me, as I promise you won’t have complaints about this chicken. When you make it, be sure to whip up some mashed potatoes or polenta (homemade! coming up next post), and plenty of bread to soak up the wonderful pan sauce.
Pan Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Kalamata Olives
Ingredients
- a whole chicken, 3 and 1/2lb. to 4 lb. cut into four pieces (discard or save liver and other innards for a different dish)
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 spring of fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (use no sodium if using prepared otherwise final dish will be too salty)
- 1/3 cup jared pitted Kalamata olives and their juice
To thicken pan sauce (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon flour
- splash of cold water
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. When the oil is hot add the chicken quarters to the pan skin side down.
- 2. Brown the chicken well and allow the skin to crisp.Then flip to brown the other side. When the chicken is browned on both sides reposition the chicken so that the skin side is facing up.
- 3. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic becomes a pale golden color. Stir frequently and do not allow the garlic to burn.
- 4. Add the black pepper, entire sprig of rosemary, white wine, chicken broth, and Kalamata olives in their juice to the pan, one at a time. Allowing the liquid in the pan to come up to a brisk simmer before adding the next ingredient.
- 5. Allow the entire pan to simmer for about two minutes and reduce the heat to create a gentle simmer. Place the lid on the pan partially ajar. Do not fully cover the pan or the chicken skin will become soggy. You can skip covering the pan, but it will take additional time to cook the chicken completely and additional liquid may be needed to keep a pan sauce as more will evaporate.
- 6. Cook until meat is tender. Meat will visibly begin to separate from the bone. It should take aprox 20-25 min per pound. If the sauce in the pan reduces too much during cooking add additional chicken broth as needed.
- 7. When the meat is fully cooked transfer chicken to a serving platter or plates. Remove the stem of the rosemary sprig from the pan. Tip the pan and skim off most of the fat. Pour the juices over the chicken and serve immediately. Be sure to include some olives from the sauce for each plate. The pan sauce may be thickened before pouring over the chicken if desired by following the additional step below.
Notes
- To thicken the sauce: In a measuring cup add 1/4 teaspoon of flour to a splash of water and mix well to combine the flour and water. Add the mixture to the pan sauce and stir in well. Bring the heat back up to medium high and allow the sauce to thicken slightly, string frequently. Once sauce is thick, pour over chicken and serve.
Leave a Reply