Chef Graziella
Cotoletta di Pollo alla Milanese
The golden cutlet of Lombardy, where chicken is pounded thin, coated in the finest crumbs, and fried in butter until it shatters at the touch of a fork. Lemon is the only adornment it needs.
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Pollo alla Ligure
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From the terraced hillsides above the Ligurian coast, where small black olives and wild herbs grow in the same salt-tinged air. Chicken braised with the restraint that defines this narrow stretch of Italy.
Main Dishes
Italian, Ligurian
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
55 min cook•1 hr 20 min total
Yield4 servings
Liguria is a sliver of coastline pinched between mountains and sea, and its cooking reflects this geography. There is no room for excess. The olives are small because the trees cling to terraced hillsides. The herbs are wild because they grow in rocky soil. The cooking is restrained because that is what the land teaches.
Pollo alla Ligure is not a complicated dish. Chicken, olives, pine nuts, wine, a touch of tomato, the herbs that grow on the hills above Genoa. What makes it Ligurian is what it lacks: no heavy cream, no aggressive garlic, no drowning sauce. The chicken tastes like chicken. The olives taste like olives. Each ingredient remains itself.
Taggiasca olives are essential. These small, purplish-black olives from the town of Taggia have a sweetness and delicacy that larger olives cannot match. They are the same olives pressed into the pale, fruity oil that defines Ligurian cooking. If you cannot find them, use another small, mild black olive, but do not substitute those rubbery canned things. You would be making a different dish entirely.
Ligurian chicken with olives emerged from the cucina povera of the Italian Riviera, where cooks combined the region's famous Taggiasca olives with whatever poultry they could afford. The dish gained prominence in the trattorias of Genoa during the 19th century, when the merchant city's prosperity allowed home cooks to serve chicken more regularly. Pine nuts, cultivated from the stone pines that dot the Ligurian hills, were added as a mark of celebration.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole chicken
Quantity
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pounds)
cut into 8 pieces
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
sliced thin
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
crushed and peeled
dry white wine
Quantity
3/4 cup
whole peeled tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
Taggiasca olives
Quantity
1 cup
pine nuts
Quantity
3 tablespoons
fresh rosemary
Quantity
2 sprigs
fresh thyme
Quantity
4 sprigs
fresh marjoram (optional)
Quantity
1 small sprig
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole chickencut into 8 pieces | 1 (3 1/2 to 4 pounds) |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| yellow onionsliced thin | 1 medium |
| garlic clovescrushed and peeled | 2 |
| dry white wine | 3/4 cup |
| whole peeled tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| Taggiasca olives | 1 cup |
| pine nuts | 3 tablespoons |
| fresh rosemary | 2 sprigs |
| fresh thyme | 4 sprigs |
| fresh marjoram (optional) | 1 small sprig |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 12-inch skillet or braiser with lid
- •Small skillet for toasting pine nuts
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Season the chicken
Pat the chicken pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels. Season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. The skin must be dry or it will not brown. Wet skin steams instead of crisping.
- 2
Brown the chicken
In a heavy 12-inch skillet or braiser, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers but does not smoke. Working in batches to avoid crowding, brown the chicken pieces on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. The skin should be deep golden, not pale. Transfer to a plate as each piece finishes. Do not rush this step.
Crowding the pan drops the temperature and causes the chicken to steam. Brown in two batches. Patience here creates flavor you cannot add later. - 3
Cook the aromatics
Pour off all but two tablespoons of fat from the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden at the edges, about 8 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook one minute more. The garlic should remain pale. Remove and discard the garlic cloves.
The garlic is there to perfume the oil, nothing more. Cooked garlic left in the sauce would become acrid during the long braise. This is the Ligurian way: a whisper, not a shout. - 4
Deglaze with wine
Pour in the white wine. It will sizzle and steam. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. These fond particles are concentrated flavor. Let the wine bubble until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. You should no longer smell raw alcohol.
- 5
Add tomatoes and olives
Add the crushed tomatoes, olives, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram if using. Stir to combine. The tomato should be restrained here, enough to create braising liquid but not enough to dominate. Ligurian cooking respects proportion.
- 6
Braise the chicken
Return the chicken pieces to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. The liquid should come about halfway up the chicken. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes. The thigh meat should pull easily from the bone when tested with a fork.
Partial covering allows some liquid to evaporate and concentrate while keeping the chicken moist. A fully covered pot produces waterlogged results. - 7
Toast the pine nuts
While the chicken braises, toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Watch them constantly. They burn in seconds once they begin to color. Transfer immediately to a plate.
- 8
Finish and serve
Transfer the chicken to a warm serving platter. If the sauce seems thin, increase heat and simmer uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust salt. Spoon the sauce, olives, and onions over the chicken. Scatter the toasted pine nuts on top. Serve immediately. This is home cooking, not restaurant food. Bring the platter to the table and let everyone serve themselves.
Chef Tips
- •Taggiasca olives are worth seeking out. Italian specialty stores carry them, often packed in oil. If using oil-packed olives, drain them well. If using brine-packed olives, rinse briefly and reduce the salt in the dish.
- •Ask your butcher to cut the chicken into pieces, or do it yourself: two breasts halved crosswise, two thighs, two drumsticks, two wings. Bone-in, skin-on pieces are required. Boneless chicken breast has no place in this dish.
- •Ligurians would use Vermentino or Pigato, the white wines of their coast. Any dry, crisp white wine works. Do not use anything you would not drink.
- •The dish reheats well the next day. The flavors meld and deepen. Add a splash of water when reheating to loosen the sauce.
Advance Preparation
- •The chicken can be braised up to two days ahead and refrigerated in its sauce. The flavor improves. Reheat gently, covered, adding water if needed.
- •Toast pine nuts just before serving for best texture. They soften if added to the reheated dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 400g)
Calories
800 calories
Total Fat
52 g
Saturated Fat
12 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
37 g
Cholesterol
230 mg
Sodium
870 mg
Total Carbohydrates
12 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
68 g
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