Classic Olive Chicken

Name: Classic Olive Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1 meal, 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 4 chicken thighs; 4 chicken drumsticks; 1 cup green olives (best Italian ones you can find, like Bella di Cerignola, olives from Puglia); 2/3 cup white wine; 1/4 cup pine nuts; 2 tablespoons garlic (smashed or rough chop); 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 bay leaf, fresh; salt and pepper, for seasoning

Submitted by Raquel Grinnell

"Good, easy main dish."

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Ready In:: 40mins
Ingredients:: 10
Yields:: 1 meal
Serves:: 4

ingredients

4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
1 cup green olives (best Italian ones you can find, like Bella di Cerignola, olives from Puglia)
²⁄₃ cup white wine
¹⁄₄ cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons garlic (smashed or rough chop)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf, fresh
salt and pepper, for seasoning

directions

Pit the olives by slicing around the center and then lying flat on your cutting board. With the broad side of your knife against the olive, press down or give a good pat (with your hand) on the knife to separate the olive from the pit. Place the prepared olives on the side.
In a sauté pan, melt one tablespoon of butter over low-medium heat. Once the butter has melted and foam has settled, add the pine nuts. Watch closely to assure they do not overcook. Once the bottoms begin to take on a slight color (a toasty smell should begin to rise from the pan), flip the pine nuts and allow them to toast on the second side. When the second side is done, move them from the pan to a paper towel to drain.
In a large heavy gauge steel or cast iron pan, add one-tablespoon butter and one-tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Allow all the foam to cook off the butter and stir the mixture until consistent. Season the chicken thighs and drumsticks with salt and pepper and place skin side down into the hot oil mixture. Lower the heat to a low medium and cover. Let the chicken cook for eight - ten minutes.
Remove the top from the pan and turn the chicken. Raise the heat back to medium. Add the crushed garlic and bay leaf. Cover the pan again and cook for another ten minutes. (If the skin side of the chicken did not take enough color to your liking, don’t worry; we’ll address that later.*).
Remove the cover from the pan. Move the chicken around the pan carefully to assure even color and allow it to cook for another five minutes. Now add the olives and the wine and reduce to a saucy consistency (about 5 more minutes). Lastly, add the pine nuts to the pan to warm them and remove from the stove to plate.
* If you feel that you haven’t achieved the proper color on the chicken, turn your broiler onto high heat and move the chicken (skin side up) onto a sheet pan. Place under the broiler and watch closely to make sure it does not burn. (A minute or two works wonders.) While doing this, keep the pan with the sauce and olives over a very low flame. Once the chicken is browned to your liking, remove it and plate immediately.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Raquel Grinnell

Crownsville, Maryland

I am a married cruise-only travel agent with two stepsons, aged 20 and 25. It took a while to get the boys used to my cooking, as they were raised on fast food and pre-packaged foods (i.e. mac-n-cheese from the blue box, frozen dinners, Chef Boyardee, McDonalds, etc.). My mother is from Spain and I lived there as well as Germany, England and Italy growing up, which influenced both my career and my cuisine!</p> 8726943"

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