I had the pleasure of visiting Rome with my family for two weeks in the fall of 2018. We stayed in a lovely apartment near the Colosseum and visited all the magnificent tourist destinations the city has to offer. Experiencing all of the art, history and culture - it’s wondrous! One evening after visiting Castel Sant'Angelo, we walked across the Tiber river on the Ponte Sant’Angelo and stumbled into the Opera Restaurant on via Paola. Like the saying goes, “when in Rome…” so I selected Roman Chicken from the menu and I was not disappointed! It was the perfect cure for the chilly October evening. When I returned home, I just had to try to recreate this dish myself. It’s similar to a rustic chicken stew and it’s good for a comforting meal anytime. If you can’t make it to Rome sometime soon, I hope this dish helps to give you a small flavor of the city and its cuisine.

Roman Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pound chicken (bone-in, with skin; thighs and drumsticks work well, although I have used bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts as well)

• 32 ounce chicken broth or stock

• 1 medium onion (sliced into rings)

• 2 whole cloves of garlic (peeled)

• 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup white wine

• 30 ounce can diced tomatoes and juice

• Fresh rosemary to taste (one or two large sprigs should be enough; if needed, substitute with 1-2 tablespoons dried rosemary, to taste)

Directions:

Rinse the chicken pieces under cool running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  (Be sure to wash your hands after handling raw chicken.) Place the olive oil into a dutch oven (or at least a 4 quart pan) and heat until the oil begins to ripple in the pan.  Add the seasoned pieces of chicken and brown on both sides.  Once browned, remove from pan to a plate.  Add onion slices and toss to sauté until soft and translucent. Place chicken pieces in the pot on top of the onion. Add the can of diced tomatoes and juice, 2 cloves of garlic, fresh rosemary, and the white wine. Allow the stew to simmer until the chicken pieces are tender and nearly falling off the bone. An easy way to peel garlic cloves it to take the individual cloves and smash them with the flat side of a knife.  The peel will come off easily.

Tips & Tricks:

Transfer the stew to a large serving bowl.  You can garnish with more fresh rosemary. Serve with roasted or mashed potatoes, a green salad, and some crusty bread for dipping in the broth.  You may even sneak in some butter for your bread.

Tools:

I’ve included a few items I think you might find useful for making this recipe or just having around your kitchen.

The Cutco knives I’ve linked to here are expensive, but they’re the best knives I’ve ever used. I can’t recommend them enough. Sometimes you just have to splurge for quality! I would recommend the Santoku Knife for the chicken and the Petite Chef Knife for the onion and other veggies.