This recipe was inspired by Chef John’s Roman-style chicken recipe and has a lot of potential. He is John Mitzewich and has a good video at his page. Our version below has much larger volume of spices than his but we did not compensate for the salt added by the dry brining and hence it was a bit salty. The recipe below leaves out Chef Johns salt and added a taste-test step.
Ingredients
- 6 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 ½ to 3 pounds). Dry brined 6 hours before cooking. [FYI – Dry brining is when you add salt to the raw meat the same amount as if you were salting it on the table just before you eat. The salt needs 2-4 hours to penetrate chicken thigh IMHO. The salt will cause the meat to hold more moisture during the cook and be more moist when served.]
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 yellow onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon capers
- 1 anchovy filet or anchovy paste in a tube; that is what Mary used.
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups Marizano canned tomatoes crushed (Used one large can)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste
- 3 red or orange bell peppers, seeded and cut into 3/8-inch strips. Used our frozen bell peppers from the garden last year.
- 3 slices prosciutto, cut into strips – For the first cook on 3/24/2025 we did not have this. This would have added a nice flavor but it would have also added salt. Be careful.
Directions
- Use a sharp knife to make 2 cuts through the skin in the center of the thigh, down to the bone, about one inch apart from each other. Be careful to not cut the skin fully across the piece so it does not hang together. Rulling the thigh so the skin is on top and down past the bone will avoid cutting it into pieces of having flaps.
- Once cut, transfer thighs into a mixing bowl. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil, and season with salt, black pepper, cayenne, and dried herbs. Mary used her hands to toss until very thoroughly coated making sure the seasoning got into the slices. Put the bowl into the refrigerator for about 4 hours. [Our future cooks will hopefully let it marinate at least overnight.]
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until a deep golden brown crust has formed, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for 3 minutes more. Turn off heat, remove chicken to a plate, and set aside.
- Turn heat back on to medium, and add onions. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes or until the onions just begin to soften. Make a space in the center of the pan, and add garlic, capers, and anchovy. Cook for about 1 minute, while stirring and smashing with the edge of a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Pour in wine, and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the wine reduces by about half. Add tomatoes, water, and chicken bouillon paste; stir to combine. Return mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add sliced peppers, and mix in evenly. Scatter about 3/4 of prosciutto slices evenly over the top. Place chicken thighs back on top, spaced evenly, skin side up. Place remaining prosciutto slices between chicken pieces.
- Check for salt and add if needed.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through and the top is nicely browned, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Top with parsley and serve immediately on olive oil mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.
