Pollo alla panna (Italian Creamed Chicken)

Frankmains/secondi piatti38 Comments

Italian Creamed Chicken

One of the hallmarks of Italian cooking is its utter simplicity, and few dishes exemplify this quality as well as this one. As the named implies, Italian creamed chicken  is essentially just chicken simmered in cream, the other ingredients do nothing more than provide a subtle enhancement for this heavenly marriage of flavors. Just reading the recipe, the dish might seem ordinary, but as soon as you take your first bite, you realize it’s a true masterpiece. Nothing is lacking, nothing superfluous. As Leonardo said, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Ingredients

Serves enough for 3 or more as a second course, depending on the size of the chicken and appetites

  • One young chicken, cut into parts
  • 50g (2 oz, 1/2 stick) of butter
  • 500ml (1 pint) heavy cream
  • 1 shallot, peeled but left whole
  • Salt
  • A sprig or two of fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

Directions

Cut the chicken up into serving pieces, making sure that the leg is separated from the thigh, and that the breast is cut in half crosswise.

Pollo alla panna-1

Melt the butter is a braising pan large enough to contain all the chicken pieces in a single layer. Add the pieces and whole shallot, and sauté over moderate heat until the chicken is very lightly browned, salting as you go. Be careful to regulate the heat so as not to allow the butter or chicken to darken too much.

Pollo alla panna-2

Add cream, which should cover the chicken by about 2/3. Cover (leaving the lid slightly ‘ajar’ to allow for evaporation and avoid spillage) and let the chicken simmer in the cream for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the cream reduced to a thick, saucy consistency. The cream will probably have separated, which is perfectly fine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. You can remove the shallot, which by now will be very soft or, if you like, just mash up it into the sauce.

Pollo alla panna (Italian Creamed Chicken)

Serve immediately. If you like, you can top the chicken with some chopped parsley, or add it to the sauce just before serving.

Notes

With its extravagant use of cream, the dish may not seem very Italian, but creamed chicken is featured, among other places, in Artusi’s classic cookbook, La scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene. Artusi has a slightly different take, however; he tells you to roast a whole chicken, then cut it up and simmer it in cream to cover. The recipe given here follows more ‘normal’ modern Italian technique.

There is another Italian dish that goes by pollo alla panna, made with boneless chicken breasts, sautéed in butter then quickly pan roasted with a bit of white wine. The breasts are removed when done and the cream added to the skillet and reduced into a sauce that is poured over the breasts. It’s a pleasant enough every day dish but, if you ask me, has none of the genius of this one.

While the pure flavors are the real appeal of this for me, you could dress the dish up your creamed chicken with some sautéed mushrooms or peas or braised baby onions, added towards the end of the braise. Any of these would make for a fine contorno as well. Another, modern adulteration—but a nice one—would be to add a dash of curry powder or turmeric to the chicken pieces during the initial sauté.

Needless to say, with such simplicity, for a truly remarkable Italian creamed chicken you need best quality ingredients, especially the chicken, which should have lots of flavor. That’s easier said than done these days, but try to find a free-range, organic chicken. If you’re using an ‘industrial’ chicken, you might just add a little bit of chicken bouillon to the cream. Heresy, I know, but desperate times and all that…

Print Recipe

Pollo alla panna (Chicken in Cream)

Total Time1 hour

Ingredients

  • One young chicken cut into parts
  • 50 g 2 oz, 1/2 stick of butter
  • 500 ml 1 pint heavy cream
  • 1 shallot peeled but left whole
  • Salt
  • A sprig or two of fresh parsley finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken up into serving pieces, making sure that the leg is separated from the thigh, and that the breast is cut in half crosswise.
  • Melt the butter is a braising pan large enough to contain all the chicken pieces in a single layer. Add the pieces and whole shallot, and sauté over moderate heat until the chicken is very lightly browned, salting as you go. Be careful to regulate the heat so as not to allow the butter or chicken to darken too much.
  • Add cream, which should cover the chicken by about 2/3. Cover (leaving the lid slightly 'ajar' to allow for evaporation and avoid spillage) and let the chicken simmer in the cream for 30-45 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and the cream reduced to a thick, saucy consistency. The cream will probably have separated, which is perfectly fine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. You can remove the shallot, which by now will be very soft or, if you like, just mash up it into the sauce.
  • Serve immediately. If you like, you can top the chicken with some chopped parsley, or add it to the sauce just before serving.

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38 Comments on “Pollo alla panna (Italian Creamed Chicken)”

  1. Reply

    Happy Saint Valentine’s Day tutti!

    I’m making this tonight for my love, with peas and a touch of cayenne. I even bought European butter and green peas

    Ciao, e grazie Frank!

  2. Reply

    Ah, I will have to try & make this for una persona! My housemate is not a fan of chicken. Molto semplice!

  3. Reply

    I’m very much looking forward to making this tonight. I love to cook but it often seems some of the most simple recipes have the best flavor. I’m happy I came across this one and thank you Frank for posting it!

  5. Reply

    Somehow I missed this first time around. I clicked in when I got your email today about problems with the browsers. I’m on Chrome. I get to the home page okay but got an Error 404 when I tried to come via the email.

    1. Reply

      Oops! Forgot to say that I love this recipe. I’ve been looking for a creamy chicken and noodle recipe for the past few days. This didn’t come up via Bing or Google. I’ll be putting this together today right after I go to the grocer. Will use legs and/or thighs though. I think the dark meat is so much more flavorful than the white. Thank you for the recipe.

      1. Reply

        Thanks, Bonnie! Let us know how you like it! Can’t agree more about dark vs white meat, by the way.

        The issue the other day was resolved quickly, so we took down the post. Sorry for the confusion!

  6. Reply

    Sounds fantastic! On my way to the market to get the ingredients. My little girls will love it. Muchas Gracias! Last night I cooked your Amatriciana recipe, and it was simply fabulous. have followed your blog for years and never posted a comment to thank you for your fantastic work. have a nice day!

  7. Reply

    I have not made anything “alla panna” in so long! It somehow reminds me of the eighties, yet it is so delicious! Time for a comeback?

  8. Reply

    I made a variation on this the day it posted, (with peas, mushrooms, broccoli, and rice)… Thank you, it was outstanding. Love reading your recipes. Look forward to trying this with our home raised chicken sometime also.

  9. Reply

    A friend of mine served me “petti di pollo con Philadelphia”, basically chicken breasts cooked in cream cheese, a while ago and I was a little taken aback. When I tasted it, it made perfect sense: delicate, creamy… really good! Come to think of it, maybe I should post it ;o) So I imagine how good this must be.

    2. Reply

      Can ypu please post the “petti di pollo con Philadelphia”, basically chicken breasts cooked in cream cheese recipe when you get the chance? I would love to make this for my family.

      Thanks.

  12. Reply

    When I want non-tomato based braised short ribs, I will braise them in cream and right before serving, throw in a handful of blue cheese. My mom always made flounder baked in milk. We knew it was from the ages but right now it’s all the rage. Goes to show…what’s old is new again. Great post.

    2. Reply

      Susan M,

      Is there any chance you can post your recipe for short ribs braised in cream wwith blue cheese? I simply must try making this.

      Thank you in advance.

      Cheers.

    1. Reply

      If you’re eating Italian-style, this would be its own course, following a pasta, rice or soup dish. The accompaniment (in Italian, “contorno”) would be a vegetable. But if you’re not eating Italian style, then you can really suit yourself. Personally, I’d go with buttered noodles.

  16. Reply

    What a beautiful dish, Frank! If I didn’t already have Red Beans and Rice in the slow cooker I might have made it tonight. Can’t wait to try it.

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