Pollo alla Franceschiello

I made this festive chicken dish from Abruzzo, pollo alla Franceschiello, as the second course for this year’s Befana dinner with dear friends whose family hails from the region. It was a big hit with our guests—and with me—so I thought I should share it with you.

The dish is simple enough to make. Following the usual method for Italian spezzatini, you brown a cut up chicken in olive oil scented with garlic and rosemary, then braise it in white wine. But what makes it special is the addition of olives and the medley of pickled vegetables called giardiniera, which lend tremendous flavor and lovely mix of colors. It’s no wonder that pollo alla Franceschiello, simple as it is, is a favorite for holidays and Sunday dinners.

I feel a special affection for this dish since Franceshiello literally translates as “Little Frankie”. The dish is named after Francesco II, the much loved (but also ridiculed) last Bourbon King of the Two Sicilies, ruling over southern Italy and Sicily. He reined only a year before his kingdom was invaded by Giuseppe Garibaldi, leading ultimately to its dissolution and incorporation into a united Italy in 1861. He died in exile in 1894, only 59 years old. But he’s still much admired by some. In fact, he was recently nominated for sainthood.

Little Frankie apparently really liked to eat, which earned him his other nickname, “King Lasagna“. Now, it’s unclear whether he ever actually ate pollo alla Franceschiello, but I’m sure he would have liked it if he had. It’s truly fit for a king.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 young chicken, cut into serving pieces and well dried
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• white wine
• 100-150g (3-1/2-5 oz) giardiniera, jarred or homemade, well drained
• 100g-150g (3-1/2-5 oz) green olives, pitted
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 hot red pepper, fresh or dried (optional)

Directions

In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer, gently sauté the garlic, rosemary and (if using) the red pepper just until the garlic begins to brown around the edges. Remove.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken pieces to the pan. Brown them well on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.

Add a splash of white wine and let it simmer for a minute or two.

Then lower the heat, add the giardiniera and olives, cover the pan and let the chicken braise turning from time to time, for about 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.

Uncover the pan, turn up the heat to medium and cook off most but not quite all of the cooking juices.

Serve immediately.

Notes on Pollo alla Franceschiello

The dish is simplicity itself, following as it does the same brown then braise technique as pollo alla cacciatora and countless other Italian (and non-Italian) chicken dishes called spezzatini in Italian. There’s not too much here to trip you up.

One potential challenge is stickage. Chicken skin has a tendency to stick to pans. I usually use nonstick to make life easy for myself. But if you prefer stainless steel, which admittedly provides better browning and more flavor from the fond, you can also just take care to pre-heat the skillet well, without anything in it, before you begin to cook. That seals the pores of the metal providing a near nonstick surface.

Another thing to look out for: you should brown the chicken pieces thoroughly at the beginning, as that nice crispness and lovely golden color you get from searing the skin tends to fade under the wet heat of the subsequent braise. That’s especially true if your chicken gives off a lot of liquid, as factory chickens in particular tend to do.

If you’re not happy with the look of your chicken at the end of the braise, you can let all the pan juices evaporate and brown the chicken up again. And if you want some sauce, then remove the re-browned chicken pieces to a serving dish and add a splash of water to the pan and give it a stir before pouring the pickled veggies and pan juices over the chicken.

Choosing your chicken

The other main point for a successful pollo alla Franceschiello is choosing the chicken itself. Factory chickens are famously tasteless, although in this recipe the aromatics, giardiniera, olives and hot red pepper go a long way to provide flavor. Even so, the dish will be at its best if you use an organic, free range bird. My favorites are the Green Circle chickens from Dartagnan.

Chickens vary a lot in terms of the amount of juices they exude. As mentioned, factory birds tend to let off a lot of juice, while free range ones very little. That will influence how long that final reduction of the pan juices will take, so you may want to reduce the braise time accordingly.

And by the way, I always use a whole bird if I can help it and cut it up myself, even if I’m not going to use it all. It’s a lot more economical pound for pound, plus you can use the carcass for broth. For this dish, you want to cut off the legs, then divide them into thighs and drumsticks, then the wings (removing the tips), and finally the breasts (with bone on) cutting each breast into two. This produces a total of ten serving pieces if you’re using the whole bird.

Personally, I usually use just the legs for braised dishes like pollo alla Franceschiello. I freeze the breasts for other uses, usually quick dry heat dishes like cutlets or scaloppine or, when I’m feeling indulgent, the occasional petto di pollo al burro.

About Giardiniera

As mentioned at the top, giardiniera is a medley of different vegetables pickled in a seasoned vinegar brine. These usually includes cauliflower, carrots, celery, bell peppers, baby onions and sometimes green beans. You can make it at home rather easily but you can easily find it in supermarkets (at least here in North America). Some types of giardiniera can be spicy, and can include oil as well as vinegar.

For making pollo alla Franceschiello, you want the mild kind packed in vinegar only, which you drain well. For North American readers, you want to look for “Italian style” giardiniera, not the “Chicago style” used as a relish for sandwiches and such.

Also be aware that the assortment of vegetables in commercial giardiniera can vary. Try to find one with some pickled peppers in it, preferably red ones. If you can’t, consider buying them separately. It’s not critical, of course, but they provide really nice flavor and color to the dish.

Measurements

Measurements for the olives and giardiniera in Italian recipes for pollo alla Franceschiello are all over the map, ranging anywhere from 50g each to 200g! Some call for more olives than giardiniera, others the opposite. Others in good old school Italian style, call for a manciata (handful) of each.

So I’ve given a range here for the olives and giardiniera to account for how much chicken you’re using as well as personal taste. Just bear in mnd that these ingredients really pack a punch, and you don’t want to overwhelm the chicken. Aim for a balance of flavors. You’re best bet is to “eye ball” it, just like most experienced Italian cooks do.

Variations

Recipes for pollo alla Franceschiello vary as to when you add the giardiniera and olives. In some, like this one, you add them at the beginning of the braise, just after the wine. Others tell you to add them half way through and yet others just a few minutes before the chicken is done. In a few you even add them to the soffritto before the chicken.

The longer you wait to add these ingredients, the most assertive they will be. Conversely, the sooner you add them, the milder, which is why I prefer to add them right at the start of the braise. I’m not one for sharp acidic flavors. Adding at the start results in flavors I’d call a sprightly but not harsh. But if you like acidity, by all means hold off adding them until later on.

The olives are usually green but you wil find some recipes calling for black ones.

Recipes also vary as to how much juice to leave in the pan. In some recipes, you serve the chicken ‘dry’, cooking off any remaining pan juices and browning the chicken before serving. In others (like this one) the juices are well reduced, and yet others make no mention of a final evaporation, serving the bird with all of its pan juices. So again, it’s a matter of personal preference.

Making ahead and leftovers

Like most braised dishes, pollo alla Franceschiello can be made entirely ahead and reheated when you’re ready to serve it. If anything, the flavors improve.

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Pollo alla Franceschiello

Chicken Braised with Olives and Pickled Vegetables

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Abruzzo

Keyword: braised

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 young chicken cut into serving pieces and well dried
• 1-2 cloves garlic peeled and lightly crushed
• 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• white wine
• 100-150 g (3-1/2-5 oz) giardiniera jarred or homemade, well drained
• 100-150 g (3-1/2-5 oz) green olives pitted
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 hot red pepper fresh or dried (optional)

Instructions

• In a sauté pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer, gently sauté the garlic, rosemary and (if using) the red pepper just until the garlic begins to brown around the edges. Remove.
• Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken pieces to the pan. Brown them well on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.
• Add a splash of white wine and let it simmer for a minute or two.
• Then lower the heat, add the giardiniera and olives, cover the pan and let the chicken braise turning from time to time, for about 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and very tender.
• Uncover the pan, turn up the heat to medium and cook off most but not quite all of the cooking juices.
• Serve immediately.

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