Chicken is one of the most widely used meats in cooking. Its meat is rich in protein and has little fat, making it suitable for low-calorie diets. There are many ways to cook chicken, catering to all tastes. Let's start with the classic recipe that we have all often cooked: the roast chicken.
Classic Roast Chicken Recipe
It is a very simple and easy preparation, and if you observe a few simple rules, our chicken will be golden, tasty, and evenly cooked.
First of all, don't put the chicken in the oven straight away after taking it out of the fridge. Leave it at room temperature for half an hour so that its meat cooks evenly.
If you can find it, free-range chicken, i.e., chicken raised and bred organically, is always preferable to that found in the supermarket. The taste will certainly be enhanced.
The preparation involves leaving the chicken whole, removing the entrails, and then washing it well. Be sure to dry it very well before cooking.
When you put the chicken in the oven, place it with the breast down. After about twenty minutes, turn it over and finish cooking.
Another important tip is to moisten the chicken with its cooking juices at least 3 or 4 times.
Ingredients
A whole chicken weighing about 1 kg
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
5 or 6 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
Oregano powder, quantum satis
Salt, pepper to taste
Olive oil to taste
Preparation
Prepare a seasoning by finely chopping the garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaf, and oregano. Add salt and pepper, and mix everything together.
Clean the chicken by removing the entrails, head, neck, and the lower part of the legs. If you have a free-range chicken, you may find small parts of feathers still attached to the skin, so pass the chicken over a flame to burn these parts.
Wash the chicken under cold running water and dry thoroughly. Brush the whole chicken with olive oil.
Using the mince you prepared, massage the entire skin of the chicken and put a couple of tablespoons inside. Ensure the meat absorbs the seasoning.
Place it in the oven, ensuring the temperature is between 180-200°C. Bake for about an hour.
If you serve it straight away, you don't need to do anything. If you have to wait before serving it, wrap it in unsealed aluminum foil to prevent it from continuing to cook and losing its crispiness.
Many vegetables can be used as a side dish for roast chicken, but the best side dish is always baked potatoes.
Chicken Cacciatore
Chicken cacciatore is cooked all over Italy in different ways and with different ingredients. The original recipe is said to be Tuscan. It is a very tasty and easy dish to prepare. I recommend homemade bread because the sauce that remains from cooking is delicious on bread and is used to make the so-called "scarpetta."
Ingredients
A chicken of about 1200/1300 grams
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
1 clove of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
A few leaves of chopped parsley
Half a glass of red wine
500 g peeled chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil to taste
Preparation
Prepare the chicken by cutting it into small pieces, washing it, and removing the excess fat. Prepare the vegetables (celery, carrot, and onion), finely chopped.
In a large saucepan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chicken pieces and brown all parts well (about 10 minutes).
Add the chopped vegetables, the whole crushed garlic, and the rosemary. Adjust the salt and pepper and brown for another 5 minutes.
Add the red wine, turn up the flame, and let it evaporate completely. Remove the rosemary and garlic, then add the chopped peeled tomatoes.
Stir well, put a lid on, and simmer for at least 30-35 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle the chicken with a few leaves of chopped parsley.
Variations
There are many variations of chicken cacciatore, with different spices and ingredients depending on the region:
In the Sicilian version, black olives, wild fennel, pickled capers, and chili pepper are added instead of the vegetables mentioned earlier.
In the Roman version, anchovies without bones are used.
In the Neapolitan version, black olives, basil, and chili pepper are added.
Saffron Chicken
A somewhat exotic but simple and tasty recipe. If you serve it with grilled vegetables or rice, it becomes a complete one-pot meal.
Ingredients
A medium-sized chopped chicken
1 sachet of saffron
Half a glass of white wine
A few sage leaves
1 clove of garlic
Salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste
1 tablespoon of 00-type flour
Preparation
In a large saucepan, cook the crushed garlic clove in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the garlic as soon as it is golden brown and add the lightly floured chicken pieces and the sage leaves.
When the pieces are golden brown on all sides, add the white wine and let it evaporate completely.
Dissolve the saffron in a cup of water and add it to the chicken after salting it.
Cover with a lid and cook for about 30 minutes. If the sauce is too runny at the end of cooking, remove the chicken pieces and thicken the sauce with a little flour.
Serve the chicken pieces, covering them with the sauce.
Beer Chicken
This second course is sure to be a success, thanks to the delicate flavor and aromatic taste that marinating with beer and herbs gives it. I recommend marinating for about 2 hours or more.
Ingredients
1 medium-sized chopped chicken
Half a liter of pale ale
10-15 g butter
2 cloves of garlic
1 sprig of rosemary
A few fresh thyme leaves
Flour, salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste
Preparation
Prepare the marinade by combining the beer, thyme, rosemary sprig, 1 crushed garlic clove, and a pinch of pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours.
After marinating, remove the chicken pieces, dry them, and roll them in a little flour.
In a saucepan, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and the butter. Brown the chicken, turning it often to ensure it cooks evenly.
Remove the chicken from the pan, place it in an oven dish, season with salt, and pour the marinade you set aside into the dish. Place it in a preheated oven at 200°C for 30-35 minutes.
When cooked, serve the chicken with the marinade sauce.
Chicken Rolls
A quick and easy preparation, but very tasty. It takes less than 30 minutes to prepare and will delight both children and adults.
Ingredients
2 whole chicken breasts
8 slices of cooked ham
Some cheese (such as scamorza or caciottina), cut into slices
1 clove of garlic
1 glass of white wine
1 sprig of rosemary
Olive oil and salt to taste
Preparation
Cut four slices from each chicken breast, making a total of 8 pieces.
Beat them with a pestle and place a slice of cooked ham and a couple of slices of cheese on top of each. Finish with a few rosemary needles. Roll up each slice and secure it with a toothpick.
Prepare a mince with garlic and rosemary, and fry it in a pan with a little olive oil.
Add the roulades and cook slowly, adding the white wine a little at a time, covering the pan with a lid. This will take about 10 minutes.
Adjust the salt and serve hot.
Stewed Chicken Rolls with Peas
Ingredients
8 slices of chicken breast
1 sprig of rosemary
6 or 7 sage leaves
1 clove of garlic
1 glass of white wine
30-40 grams of flour
400 grams fresh or frozen peas
Salt, pepper, and flour to taste
Olive oil to taste
Preparation
Prepare the mince with 1 garlic clove, rosemary, sage, salt, and pepper, and rub it onto the chicken breasts. Roll the chicken breasts up and secure them with a toothpick or tie them with kitchen string.
Flour the roulades and brown them evenly in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the white wine and let it evaporate completely. Then add a glass of water, season with salt and pepper, and cover the pan with a lid.
Cook for about 20 minutes. After this time, add the peas and cook for a further 20 minutes. If the cooking sauce becomes too dry, add a little water.
A tasty variation is to add a slice of smoked bacon to the chopped chicken breasts.
