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Donal Skehan
Pollo Alla Romana | DonalSkehan.com
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Pollo Alla Romana

October 07

One of the very first dishes I every with an Italian Nonna was this – Polla Alla Romana. A classic traditional dish that uses a whole chicken broken down and slowly stewed with pepper until you have this confit like sauce that is so delicious.

  • serves Serves 6
  • time 60 minutes

Method

  1. 1. Place a large wide casserole over a medium high heat and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Fry the pancetta for a few minutes until sizzling and the fat has rendered out. Remove to a plate, leaving the oil behind.
  2. 2. Season the chicken thoroughly and add to the pan, skin side down first, and cook until it begins to brown all over (if you don’t have a wide pan do this in two batches in order to get the colour). Remove and set aside.
  3. 3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the garlic to sizzle. Pour in the white wine and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes, scraping the sticky bits from the base of the pan.
  4. 4. Add the peppers and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock and capers. Stir, season to taste and bring to the boil. Return the reserved lardons and chicken pieces to the pan, immersing them in the sauce.
  5. 5. Reduce the heat slightly, partially cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
3½ oz pancetta, chopped
3.5 lb chicken, jointed into 8 pieces
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
2½ fl oz dry white wine
4 small green peppers, cut into large dice
1 can (14 oz) whole peeled plum tomatoes
8½ fl oz chicken stock
1 tablespoon capers
To Serve
Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Crusty bread
Sea salt and freshly ground black

3 tbsp olive oil
100g pancetta, chopped
1.5kg chicken, jointed in 8 pieces
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
75ml dry white wine
4 small green peppers, cut into a large dice
1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
250ml chicken stock
1 tbsp capers
To Serve
Handful roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
Crusty bread
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper