It’s been a week already, and it’s only Wednesday! Good thing we’ve got this chicken vesuvio.
In case you missed it back in 2012, this was like, the second recipe I ever posted! Which means that the recipe was poorly written, the prose was un-inspired and the photos, well, certainly not worth a look, let alone a second one. Therefore, it was time to bring it back, new and improved but equally delicious.
Also, in case you missed it, this recipe originated in Chicago, though I came to know it before I moved there. Do you remember the movie Return to Me with David Duchovny and Minnie Driver? I’m thinking, late 90s? Well, Carol O’Connor, in his grandfatherly ways, lovingly making chicken vesuvio for his granddaughter and her new beau. It’s a good flick, get to watching it for some good post-Valentine’s Day feels.
Moving on. While the days are getting noticeably longer (can you tell? Isn’t it wonderful?!), and we still like a one pot meal around here because most days, we all have better things to do than dishes. This dish delivers on that. And, because it’s also still cold (in these midwestern lands, anyway), the oven does its part to keep it toasty inside. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (our favorite) are started on the stove and finished in the oven. Lemon, artichokes and potatoes give the dish heft. Parsley garnishes, as always. Done and done in just over an hour.
Thanks to Giada for guiding me with this recipe and to Carol O’Connor for inspiring it.
Now, Mangia!
Chicken Vesuvio
Ingredients
- 2 TB olive oil, to coat the pan
- 6 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
- 8 small red-skinned potatoes, quartered
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup semi-dry white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts (or 1 14 oz can)
- 1 TB butter, unsalted
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 450F.
- Step 2 Heat the oil in large deep oven-proof skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper Sear the chicken, skin side down, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes.
- Step 3 Transfer the chicken to plate. To the same pan as the chicken was cooked, add the potatoes and cook until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth and spices. Return the chicken to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Step 4 Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Transfer the chicken and potatoes to a platter.
- Step 5 Add the artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pot. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the butter and lemon juice, and reduce until desired thickness. Pour the sauce over chicken and potatoes, garnish with the parsley and enjoy!
