(adapted from Loukie Werle's "Italian Country Cooking")What a perfect fall dish. We absolutely loved this one - I think it's the best new recipe I've tried in awhile. I mean, I guess it's hard to go wrong when you're cooking chicken in pancetta, but still. It's just a very satisfying meal, and even though the cook time is a little longer than my usual, it's very simple to make.
Here's how it goes:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 - 3/4 red onion, cut into 8 or so wedges
5 chicken drumsticks
1/2 - 3/4 of a whole garlic bulb, cloves peeled and slightly crushed with the flat side of a knife
1/2 cup plus two splashes red wine (we used a Chilean wine called Korta, a Carmenere, which was great to drink, too)
2 serrano peppers or hot red chilies, chopped (I would've used the red; serrano were all I could find and it turned out great)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Instant polenta for serving (or, if you have a picky husband, rice)
Plus (soffrito):
2 large cloves garlic
2 slices pancetta
1 tsp rosemary leaves, dry or fresh (I used dry)
Make a soffrito with the "Plus" ingredients - place the garlic, pancetta, and rosemary in a small food processor and chop.
Add the olive oil to a heavy-based pot or dutch oven, and add your soffrito ingredients. Cook and stir over medium for about 5 minutes, allowing the pancetta to become lightly browned. Turn the heat up to high and add the onion, chicken, and garlic cloves, browning the chicken on each side. Add the wine and cook for about a minute, then add the peppers and tomatoes and salt for seasoning.
Bring the chicken to a simmer, cover, and cook on low for 40 minutes. Add salt as needed. Serve over polenta (instant takes about 3 minutes or less to cook once the water boils).
