Italian-inspired sweet, sour chicken can be made ahead
My friend and fellow cook Laurie Burrows Grad loves all things Italian. This is her version of agrodolce, a sweet-and-sour Italian sauce that is popular in southern Italy. The sauce is always made with vinegar, wine and sugar to achieve its classic flavor.
This is an excellent dish for small dinner parties since it can be made ahead. In fact, it is best to make a day ahead so the chilled fat can be removed easily. I have also frozen batches of the recipe for future meals.
Pollo agrodolce is easy to put together by first cooking the chicken thighs and then preparing the sauce separately. I like to brown the chicken on the grill or
POLLO AGRODOLCE
under the broiler, which is faster and uses less oil. A small amount of flour helps to slightly thicken the sauce.
Finally, the chicken is bathed in sweet-and-sour sauce. Raisins, pine nuts and capers add nutty, salty
Makes: 6 servings
cup pine nuts
12 boneless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground white pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large ribs of celery, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour cup dry white wine cup good-quality white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf cup golden raisins cup capers, drained and rinsed
Fresh thyme or mint leaves, for garnish
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Reserve.
2. Heat an outdoor grill or indoor broiler to high. Lightly coat a roasting or sheet pan with olive oil nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place the chicken thighs in the pan, season with salt and pepper, lightly coat with the olive oil spray, and grill or broil for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove excess fat from pan, turn chicken, season with salt and
and sweet pops of flavor. The agrodolce also goes well with vegetables and pork.
Serve alongside steamed rice, couscous or lightly buttered penne pasta, and offer a crisp Italian white wine to sip on.
pepper, lightly coat the chicken with spray, and grill for an additional 4 to 5 minutes, or until golden on all sides.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan to a platter and set aside and keep warm. (If you have a fat separator, you can put any extra juices in the pitcher and pour off all the good juices while discarding excess fat.)
5. In a large nonstick Dutch oven or deep saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until just softened, stirring often. Add the flour and stir over medium heat until smooth, about 1 minute.
6. Increase the heat to high and add the wine, vinegar, sugar and lemon zest and allow to boil for a minute or two until very thick. Add the broth, bay leaf and reserved chicken pieces.
7. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer slowly for about 30 minutes, partially covered. Turn the chicken after 15 minutes to evenly cook the meat, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf.
8. Add the raisins and capers and stir to combine. Increase heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add the reserved pine nuts.
9. Serve the chicken hot over couscous, spaetzle or rice, garnished with herbs.
Advance preparation: This dish is best prepared a day in advance and chilled. The next day, remove the fat and reheat gently.*