Read The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Online
Authors: The Editors at America's Test Kitchen
Tags: #Cooking
The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (145 page)
SERVES 4
For the best results, buy similarly sized chicken breasts. Real maple syrup is preferable to imitation syrup, and “mild” or “original” molasses is preferable to darker, more bitter types. Use a rasp-style grater or the fine holes of a box grater to grate the onion. Broiling times may differ from one oven to another, so we recommend checking the chicken after 3 minutes of broiling.
1 | cup ketchup |
3 | tablespoons molasses |
3 | tablespoons cider vinegar |
2 | tablespoons finely grated onion |
2 | tablespoons Worcestershire sauce |
2 | tablespoons Dijon mustard |
2 | tablespoons maple syrup |
1 | teaspoon chili powder |
¹⁄ | teaspoon cayenne pepper |
4 | (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
1.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk ketchup, molasses, vinegar, onion, Worcestershire, mustard, maple syrup, chili powder, and cayenne together in bowl. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2.
Heat oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Lightly brown chicken on both sides, about 2 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
3.
Pour off all oil left in skillet and add barbecue sauce, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until sauce is thick and glossy, and spatula leaves clear trail in sauce, about 4 minutes.
4.
Off heat, return chicken to skillet and coat well with sauce. Turn chicken breasts skinned side up and spoon extra sauce over each piece to create thick coating. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until breasts register 130 degrees, 10 to 14 minutes.
5.
Using potholders (skillet handle will be hot) remove skillet from oven. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Broil chicken until breasts register 160 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, being careful of hot skillet handle, stir sauce left in skillet to combine and transfer to bowl. Serve chicken, passing sauce separately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Chicken scarpariello, chicken with sausage, peppers, and onions, is an Italian-American dish that holds the promise of an easy weeknight meal you can make all in one skillet. But most recipes don’t address the problems of greasy sauce, flabby skin, and an overwhelming spiciness. Using sweet Italian sausage rather than hot tamed the spiciness of this dish and since sausage is plenty rich, we decided to streamline our recipe and use only white meat. Split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts could easily be cut into halves or thirds to speed up cooking time. We wiped the skillet clean after sautéing the sausage and chicken to avoid a greasy sauce. After adding the chicken—skin side up—back to the vegetables, we slid the skillet into the oven; this kept the skin nice and crisp. Finally, to temper the heat of the hot cherry peppers, we removed the seeds.
SERVES 4 TO 6
To manage the heat, adjust the amount of cherry peppers as desired. If your skillet is not ovensafe, add the cornstarch mixture to the skillet in step 3 (instead of step 5) along with the vinegar and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sausage and transfer mixture to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange the chicken over the mixture and bake as directed. If using large chicken breasts (about 1 pound each), cut each breast into 3 pieces. If using smaller breasts (10 to 12 ounces each), cut each breast into 2 pieces. To make this dish with chicken thighs, increase the cooking time in the oven to about 25 minutes, or until the thighs register 175 degrees. See
TRIMMING SPLIT CHICKEN BREASTS
for information on trimming split chicken breasts.
1 | tablespoon vegetable oil |
8 | ounces sweet Italian sausage, casings removed |
2 | pounds bone-in split chicken breasts, trimmed of rib sections and cut crosswise into 2 or 3 pieces |
Salt and pepper | |
1 | onion, halved and sliced ¹⁄ |
1 | large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
3–5 | jarred pickled hot cherry peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ¹⁄ |
3 | garlic cloves, minced |
³⁄ | cup plus 1 tablespoon low-sodium chicken broth |
¹⁄ | cup white wine vinegar, plus extra as needed |
2 | teaspoons sugar |
1 | teaspoon cornstarch |
1 | teaspoon minced fresh thyme |
1 | tablespoon minced fresh parsley |
1.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into ¹⁄
2
-inch pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon and transfer to paper towel–lined plate. Pour off all fat left in skillet into bowl and reserve; wipe out skillet with paper towels.
2.
Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken skin side down in skillet and cook until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes, reducing heat if pan begins to scorch. Flip chicken skin side up and continue to cook until lightly brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to large plate. Pour off all fat left in skillet into bowl with sausage fat; wipe out skillet with paper towels.
3.
Heat 1 tablespoon reserved fat in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add bell pepper and cherry peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper begins to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in ³⁄
4
cup broth, vinegar, and sugar, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to simmer.
4.
Return sausage and chicken, along with any accumulated juices to skillet, arranging chicken pieces in single layer, skin side up, on top of peppers and onion. Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken until breast pieces register 160 degrees, 18 to 22 minutes. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch, thyme, and remaining 1 tablespoon broth in bowl.
5.
Using potholders (skillet handle will be hot) remove skillet from oven. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest while finishing sauce. Being careful of hot skillet handle, stir cornstarch mixture into sauce. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, season with salt, pepper, and vinegar to taste. Spoon sauce around chicken, being careful not to pour it directly over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Chicken Vesuvio is a dish indigenous to Chicago’s Italian restaurants—with crispy-skinned chicken, bronzed potatoes, and a fiery garlic, herb, and wine sauce, it’s a welcome diversion from the ordinary baked chicken dinner. To start, chicken and potato wedges are browned on the stovetop, then transferred to the oven to finish cooking with the sauce. The problem is that the chicken skin becomes soggy from sitting in the sauce. We browned the chicken skin side down, then layered the chicken and potatoes, starting the chicken on the bottom (to soak up the flavors of the sauce), then switching the chicken to the top (to allow the skin to crisp).
SERVES 4
An equal weight of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, legs (separated into thigh and drumstick pieces), or split breasts (each breast halved lengthwise) may be substituted for the whole chicken. If you don’t care for chicken skin, simply remove it after pan-frying and before baking. A large, 8-quart Dutch oven with a diameter of 12 inches serves this dish well. If using a Le Creuset Dutch oven, heat the oil for an extra minute. See
CUTTING UP A WHOLE CHICKEN
for information on cutting up a whole chicken.
1 | (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (4 breast pieces, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs), wings discarded |
Salt and pepper | |
2 | tablespoons olive oil |
1¹⁄ | pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 8 wedges about ³⁄ |
8 | garlic cloves, minced |
1 | cup dry white wine |
2 | sprigs fresh oregano |
2 | sprigs fresh thyme |
1 | sprig fresh rosemary |
2 | tablespoons lemon juice |
2 | tablespoons minced fresh parsley |
1.
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
2.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken skin side down in skillet and cook until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes, reducing heat if pan begins to scorch. Flip chicken skin side up and continue to cook until well browned on second side, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate.
3.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add potatoes, arranging them in single layer with 1 flat side of each wedge against bottom of pot, and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, turn potatoes, and continue to cook until golden brown on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer potatoes to separate plate. Let pot cool slightly, about 2 minutes.
4.
Add all but 1 teaspoon garlic to now-empty pot and cook, using pot’s residual heat, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine, oregano, thyme, rosemary, ¹⁄
4
teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄
4
teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Return chicken pieces skin side up to pot, then arrange potatoes on top.
5.
Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Using tongs, arrange chicken on top of potatoes and facing skin side up. Bake until breasts register 160 degrees, 8 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer breast pieces to serving dish and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Continue to cook thighs, drumsticks, and potatoes until thighs and drumsticks register 175 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer thighs, drumsticks, and potatoes to serving dish.
6.
Discard herb sprigs. Stir remaining 1 teaspoon garlic and lemon juice into sauce. Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.