Servings: —
Source: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan
Reliable ovens are only a recent addition to the Italian kitchen, and, consequently, traditional roasts are done either on the spit or in a pan on top of the stove. In this recipe the chicken is entirely pan roasted, with just enough liquid to keep it from drying out. As in almost all Italian roasts, it is flavored with garlic and a hint of rosemary. It is one of the simplest and tastiest ways of doing chicken, and, if you use a young frying chicken, you should have the roasted chicken on the table in less than 45 minutes from the time you start preparing it.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 frying chicken (2 ½ pounds), washed in cold water, quartered, and thoroughly dried in a towel
A small branch of fresh rosemary, cut in two, or ½ teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
Salt
Freshly ground pepper, about 6 twists of the mill
½ cup dry white wine
Directions
1. Heat the butter and oil in a deep skillet or saut,6 pan over medium-high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the garlic and the chicken quarters, skin side down. When the chicken is well browned one one side, turn the pieces over and add the rosemary. If the garlic starts to blacken, remove it. If, however, it stays a deep golden brown, leave it in until the chicken is cooked. Control the heat so that the cooking fat stays hot but doesn’t burn.
2. When you have browned the chicken well on all sides, add a large pinch of salt, the pepper, and the wine. Allow the wine to bubble rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, then lower the heat until it is just simmering, and cover the pan. Cook slowly until the chicken is tender at the pricking of a fork. (A young fryer should take about 30 to 35 minutes.) Turn the chicken two or three times while cooking. (If you see that the cooking liquid has dried up, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water as needed.)
3. Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter, removing the garlic from the pan if you haven’t done it earlier. Tilt the pan, drawing off all but 2 tablespoons of fat with a spoon. Return the pan to high beat, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of water, and scraping up the cooking juices in the pan. Pour these over the chicken and serve.