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Pollo alla romana
Pollo alla romana: Rome's Ferragosto chicken stewed with sweet peppers and tomato
On Ferragosto, the 15 August holiday when half of Rome heads for the coast, families who stay behind cook pollo alla romana, often the day before so it can be eaten at room temperature. Jointed chicken is browned, then stewed slowly with sweet red and yellow peppers, tomato, garlic and marjoram until the peppers collapse into a sweet, glossy sauce. A little white wine goes in at the start; there's an alcohol-free swap in the ingredients. Serve it with crusty bread for the sauce and a plate of tomatoes or green beans. Chef's tip: season the chicken a few hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, so the salt reaches right into the meat.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Pat 3 ⅓ lb chicken dry with kitchen paper and season all over with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. If you have time, cover and leave it in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
Step 2: Heat 2 ⅜ tbsp olive oil in a wide casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken skin side down in batches until deep golden, then turn and colour the other side. Lift out onto a plate.
12 minStep 3: Lower the heat to medium, add 1 onion and 3 garlic cloves to the fat and cook until soft.
5 minStep 4: Return the chicken and pour in ¾ cup dry white wine. Let it bubble until it has almost gone.
3 minStep 5: In a frying pan, heat the rest of 1 ⅝ tbsp olive oil over a high heat and fry 4 red and yellow peppers until blistered and starting to soften.
6 minStep 6: Add the peppers, 14 oz tinned whole peeled tomatoes and 1 tsp dried marjoram to the chicken. Cover and simmer over a low heat, turning the pieces once, until the chicken pulls easily from the bone and reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
35 minStep 7: Uncover and simmer for 10 more minutes so the sauce thickens and turns glossy. Don't skip this: a watery sauce is the most common disappointment with this dish.
10 minStep 8: Taste for salt, scatter with parsley and serve hot, or cool and eat at room temperature within 2 hours (refrigerate leftovers).
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 48 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
- Fat
- 34 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pollo alla romana take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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