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Original Italian name: Pollo alla potentina
Place of origin: Basilicata, Southern Italy
Peperoncini, Italian is also known as chili peppers in English plays an important role in the cuisine of Basilicata. Peperoncini comes in various sizes. In Basilicata the small peppers are considered to be the hottest. However, the long thin peppers can be very spicy too.
When experimenting with the spice at home, you should proceed with caution using too little rather than too much as the spiciness of ingredients grows when cooked. If you want to make peperoncini slightly less spicy, remove the seeds and the white membranes.
Potenza style chicken from Basilicata is a real example of a spicy meal. I made a little adjustment to the original recipe using just three small chili peppers in this meal. As I use very hot chili pepper I always take out the seeds and membranes to make them less spicy. Sometimes, I braised peppers in olive oil for a while and then simply removed them from the skillet.
Potenza style chicken
Ingredients (serves 4)
1 chicken, around 1, 3 kg in weight
400g ripe tomatoes
30 g butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced
150ml dry white wine
1 peperoncino, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
50g (½ cup) pecorino cheese, roughly grated or crumbled
Method
Divide the chicken into eight pieces. Skin, seed and divide each tomato into eight. In a braising saucepan brown lightly butter and olive oil. Add the onions and then brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Cover and braise for 10 minutes.
Add the white wine and sprinkle with the peperoncino. As soon as the wine has reduced add the tomato pieces, basil, parsley and pecorino. Cover and leave to cook over a low heat for about 50 minutes. Serve with mushed potatoes.
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