Pollo Ubriaco
(Drunken Chicken)

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Larry and Heather of CycleItalia Cycling Tours sent me this Italian recipe for Drunken Chicken. It certainly qualifies for this site: It's easy enough for a bike racer to make and it's good, healthy food.

This is a great way to use up some leftover (or that bottle you opened but didn't like so much) red wine…

Ingredients:

1 chicken cut into pieces, or 1 kilo (2 pounds) parts
2 cups red wine
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced, or 6-10 tiny onions
1-2 cloves garlic, thickly sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 medium canned
1 tablespoon salted capers, rinsed and soaked in wine (the salted kind are much better than the cheap ones in vinegar)
½ cup green olives
¼ cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the chicken and wine and marinate overnight.

In a large frying pan, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil, then add the chicken pieces (save the wine) and cook, turning regularly, until golden.

Remove the chicken from the pan, then add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook stirring constantly, until the onions are soft but not brown. Add the fresh or canned tomatoes, the wine, capers, and olives and stir, bringing to a boil.

Return the chicken pieces to the pan with any accumulated juices, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook partially covered for about an hour until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste and adjust seasonings, then serve sprinkled with parsley.

This dish makes enough wonderful sauce that you can also serve it over pasta or polenta or just soak it up with bread. Don't be afraid to cook the sauce down to the thickness you like.

 

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