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Epicurious

Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives

4.9

(130)

Image may contain Animal Bird Poultry Fowl and Food
Photo by Marcus Nilsson

Oltranti and his family prepare this dish with rabbit, but it's equally appealing with chicken. Roasted with super-savory pancetta and olives, the garlicky meat stays moist in a shallow bath of white wine.

Cooks' note:

To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    1 1/2 hr

  • Yield

    Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

2 chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), backbones cut out and each chicken cut into 12 pieces (see cooks' note, below)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine
24 oil-cured black olives

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

    Step 2

    Toss chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon pepper, rubbing mixture into chicken.

    Step 3

    Arrange chicken, skin side up, in 1 layer in a 17-by 11-inch 4-sided sheet pan. Scatter garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Drizzle wine over chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes.

TagsWhite WineWineAlcoholBeveragesItalianEuropeanItalian AmericanGarlicRoot VegetableVegetableOlivePancettaCured MeatMeatWhole ChickenChickenPoultryMainDinnerNut FreeDairy FreeKetoEasySheet-Pan DinnersRoastGourmet

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