UNA VECCHIA E UNA NUOVA… White Wine Chicken and Rosemary Potatoes

by valentinalucia

Mom and I are a supah-fly, fantastic cooking team tonight, woo! Tonight’s dinner started out as a recipe taken from a recent Food Network Magazine issue, but turned into an old favorite in our household paired with a Food-Network inspired side dish – White Wine Chicken and Rosemary Potatoes!

This white wine chicken is is one of my weaknesses. It’s an old family recipe passed down from my grandmother’s mother through the generations of fabulous Italian women in my family – it’s one of the recipes I always (and still) looked forward to when I came home from college for vacations. Slow cooking chicken thighs in a mix of white wine, chicken stock, a dash of olive oil and mashed garlic creates a heavenly aroma for a house – not to mention one incredibly flavorful dish! The chicken thighs are so tender, falling off the bone, and so rich with deep garlic-and-wine flavor. What I love most is the addition of the chicken stock over the course of the cooking time, because this ensures that the chicken thighs are moist and succulent. The recipe calls for a cup of chicken stock, but if you keep an eye on the thighs as they cook and add the stock sparingly, you may not need to use all of the stock.

The rosemary potatoes are inspired by Food Network, and we followed the recipe to the T. If your house doesn’t smell heavenly from the chicken cooking, then it definitely will from these potatoes! My entire house smelled like rosemary hinted with garlic – a wonderful combination. The addition of lemon juice to the paste for the potatoes really complements their roasted and peppery flavors.

This marrying of old and new recipes turned out amazingly well. I encourage all you fun, experimental cooks out there to try something new, a new recipe you discovered that you’ve been dying to try, with an old favorite and see how they mesh. You’ll be surprised how well you dish could turn out!

White Wine Chicken (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

4 clove garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 -3.5 pounds of chicken thighs, bone-in

salt

pepper

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock

parsley

Preparations:

1. Heat garlic and olive oil in cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add thighs to skillet and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.

2. Once thighs begin to brown on the cooking side, flip chicken thighs and sprinkle parsley and more black pepper. Cook until brown on cooking side, then add white wine. Cover skillet, turn heat down to low and let cook, about 45-50 minutes. During this cooking time, periodically add chicken stock to the skillet so the chicken thighs don’t dry out. Also, periodically flip chicken so each side cooks evenly. Thighs should be tender and slightly brown on each side – divide between plates and serve. Pour juices over chicken in desired.

Rosemary Potatoes (serve 3-4)

Ingredients:

5-6 small red-skinned potatoes, halved or quartered

1 tablespoon rosemary (or 2 springs fresh rosemary)

2 cloves garlic

red pepper flakes

salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 cooking sheets with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. Cover potatoes with water in a saucepan and salt the water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until insides are fork-tender, about 8 minutes; drain and set aside.

2. On a cutting board, place rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt and mash ingredients into a paste. Transfer to a bowl, then stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Toss potatoes in the bowl with the mixture to coat.

3. Transfer potatoes to prepared sheets and roast in oven, about 20-25 minutes. Remove, let cool for a minute or two, then serve.