Chicken Canzanese
This braised chicken recipe is all about the sauce, made with white wine, broth, prosciutto, sage, bay leaves, cloves, and pepper. At the end it is finished with a bit of lemon juice and rosemary. Based on a recipe from Cook's Illustrated, Kenji Lopez-Alt, May & June 2010, p 19.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 ounces prosciutto 1/4 inch thick cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 4 medium garlic cloves sliced thin lengthwise
- 3 pounds chicken thighs about 8, bone-in, skin-on trimmed of excess fat and skin, keep skin on
- ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons unbleached flour
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 1 cup no-sodium chicken broth
- 12 whole fresh sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves whole
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves minced fine, stem reserved
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Use 12-inch cast iron skillet, Dutch oven, or oven-proof pot.
- Place pot on stove, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and heat until shimmering over medium heat. Add prosciutto; saute approximately 3 minutes when it just begins to brown. Add sliced garlic and saute until golden brown, approximately 1 1/2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and prosciutto to small bowl. Do not rinse pan.
- Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, season with black pepper, then place skin side down in pot (if using skinless chicken, place bone side up). Cook , without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Use tongs to turn; brown on second side, approximately 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.
- Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot. Over heat, add flour, and whisking constantly, cook for 1 minute. Gradually add wine and broth, using whisk to loosen browned bits from bottom of pot. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Add cloves, rosemary stem, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic; stir to incorporate. Place chicken in pot, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat is fork tender but not falling off bones, approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. (Check after 15 minutes; if bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F, so liquid gently bubbles.)
- Using tongs, transfer chicken to rimmed serving platter and cover to keep warm. Discard sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet with sauce over high heat, bring to a boil, and reduce to 1 1/4 cups, approximately 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in minced rosemary and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce around chicken and serve.
Notes
The chicken in this recipe is braised in an uncovered skillet, so chicken with the skin on works best. However, skinless chicken is alright as well but will be a bit drier.