Or Chicken as the Farmer’s Wife Would Make – or – Polla al la Contadina
I love Mario Batali. Yes, he wears Crocs and high socks and talks so quickly it’s hard to understand him, but his use of simple ingredients and fresh flavors to make the most amazing meals is truly a talent. Plus he went to Rutgers (just like Stephanie!) and used to work at Stuff Yer Face in New Brunswick. Best yet is that he didn’t forget about his roots! Oh, and he sports a red beard.
Mario Batali was one of the Food Network originals. I used to watch him way back when, before Food Network was cool, when the website was foodtv.com, and when you really could only find cooking shows. Now you can catch his reruns at 7am on Cooking Channel if you have it (unlike this Kosher Foodie).
So when I went looking for easy and semi-quick (but still delicious) dinner recipes, I started with Mario’s chicken recipes and found a whole bunch to try. I liked this one because it can really be all you serve for dinner. I made a salad and served it over some rice. Rice was not so necessary because there are potatoes, but hey, with all that sauce you might want something extra to soak it up. If you like rosemaryand tomato, you’ll like this recipe. It was a big hit in my house!
Chicken as The Farmer’s Wife Would Make, adapted from Mario Batali:
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 chicken, cut into eights, or 8 pieces legs and thighs (which I prefer for a dish like this)
- Salt ans pepper
- 1 cup flour, for dredging
- 2 Idaho potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 5-ounce can tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken stock (or white wine, or just water)
- Water
- About 1/4 cup of flat leaf parsley, chopped (1 bunch)
Directions:
1. In a heavy bottom skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and dredge in the flour.
3. Add chicken to the pan to brown, working in batches if necessary. Flip and cook on the other side till brown. Remove from pan and set aside until all chicken is browned.
4. In the same pan, add the potatoes and cook for two minutes, until they start to brown.
5. Add the onions and cook for ten minutes, making sure to stir a few times to cook evenly.
6. Add the mushrooms, tomato paste, and rosemary and stir to distribute. Turn heat to medium-low to avoid burning and cook for ten minutes.
7. Return the chicken to the pan and add wine/broth and/or enough water to cover halfway up the sides of the chicken. Bring to a boil and cover, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the pan juices. Enjoy!
