Chicago-Style Chicken Vesuvio
Chapter 4 — Chicken / Veal / Eggplant Parm + Mains
There is a stubborn myth that real Italian food requires a light hand and exact pedigree. This book is about the cuisine built by immigrants in the American Midwest who looked at abundance and said, 'More.' Chicken Vesuvio is the ultimate expression of Italian-American bravado: a massive pile of bone-in chicken and thick potato wedges, aggressively seared, showered in dried oregano, and blasted in a hot oven in a pool of white wine, chicken fat, and whole garlic cloves. It is unapologetically hearty, taking up the entire table, sputtering and smelling of roasted garlic—serve it straight from the Dutch oven with foil-wrapped garlic bread to mop up the pan juices.
Before you start
Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Pat the chicken aggressively dry with paper towels.
Moisture is the enemy of crispy skin. Season the chicken all over with the kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano, pressing it into the skin so it adheres.
Ingredients
- whole chicken leg quarters4 large
- Russet potatoes3 large
- garlic cloves15 large
- extra-virgin olive oil1/3 cup
- kosher salt1 1/2 tsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- dried oregano1 tbsp
- dry white wine1 1/2 cup
- chicken stock1 1/2 cup
- frozen green peas1 cup
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/3 cup
- lemon1 med
Method
- 01
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and fry the potato wedges until deeply golden and crusty.
Work in batches so you do not crowd the pan. They won't be cooked through yet, and that is fine. Remove them to a plate and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- 02
Sear the chicken skin-side down in the remaining olive oil and potato starches until deeply browned and the fat has rendered.
Do not touch them. Let them sear undisturbed for 8 to 10 minutes. Flip and brown the underside for another 3 minutes, then remove to the plate with the potatoes.
- 03
Lower the heat to medium, drop the whole garlic cloves into the chicken fat, and fry until light golden brown.
Stir them around for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let them burn, or the entire dish will turn bitter.
- 04
Stand back, pour in the white wine, and aggressively scrape the bottom of the pan.
The wine will spit and hiss. Use a wooden spoon to lift all the browned bits (the fond). Let the wine come to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
- 05
Pour in the chicken stock, nestle the potatoes at the bottom of the pan, and lay the chicken on top.
Make sure the chicken skin stays above the liquid line—we want it to roast and stay crispy, not boil.
- 06
Transfer the uncovered pot to the 400°F oven and roast for 35 to 45 minutes.
The chicken must be cooked through (165°F), and the braising liquid should reduce to a glossy, slightly thickened sauce. The whole garlic cloves will melt into soft, sweet butter.
- 07
Remove from the oven, immediately scatter the frozen peas over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley.
The residual heat of the sauce will cook the peas perfectly in 60 seconds without turning them to mush. Serve straight from the pot with a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Notes
Respect the dried oregano.
Do not swap in fresh herbs here. The pungent, earthy hit of dried oregano is the soul of this dish and a hallmark of mid-century Italian-American pantries.
Serve with foil-wrapped garlic bread.
You are going to need it for the pan sauce. Wrapping it in foil ensures the steam softens the crumb while the butter fully permeates the bread.
From Cook Red Sauce at Home.