Spicy Chicken Apulia

Spicy Chicken Apulia

MARCO…POLLO…

Did you ever find yourself rushing into the store to grab one thing, and one thing only: Rotisserie Chicken. Yes, usually that means that you don’t really have enough time to cook dinner. For some reason you got stuck in traffic, or a meeting went a little longer than expected, or maybe you just want to slack a little bit 🙂 It’s all good, no one’s judging. Well today is one of those days for me; I admit it, I want to slack on dinner. But I still have a desire to doctor up my rotisserie poultry. I need some flavor injection in that bird!

I love the flavor of Chicken Apulia. A long time ago, I used to make this meal using breaded chicken pieces, like how it’s done traditionally. Not lately. I find myself having less and less time to make dinner. This is one of those meals that almost all its ingredients you can find in your pantry and fridge. It’s easy to make but it can come out looking like you spent a lot of hours in the kitchen.

 

Spicy Chicken Apulia

 

Apulia is a region in Southern Italy. I’ve made Pollo All’Apulia so many times that I’m hoping one day we can actually visit this area. Traditionally, Chicken Apulia cooked using a whole chicken – breaded and pan fried – and served using bow tie pasta. Of course, you can use any type of pasta you like. In these pictures I use my fave, Bucatini since it’s thick enough to hold the meaty sauce.

 

Spicy Chicken Apulia

 

You can group this meal in a ‘comfort food’ category. But this is the kind of comfort food you can feel oh so good about. The bright sauce that contains all great vegetables bring so much flavor. It’s lively and light. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the fragrant basil meet the saltiness of the moist green olives, rounded up with the vinegary taste of capers. Happy flavors! Always use a good bottle of white wine to make yummy sauce, guys.

 

 Spicy Chicken Apulia

Spicy Chicken Apulia

 

Utilize your leftover rotisserie chicken, or better yet the whole rotisserie chicken! Dress up your local grocery store’s boring deli chicken with delicious, easy-to-make sauce. You’ll see rotisserie chicken in a whole new light!

 

Spicy Chicken Apulia

 

Spicy Chicken Apulia

Spicy Chicken Apulia
 
Serves 4 to 6
From:
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 rotisserie chicken
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • 1 to 2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can organic diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup green olives, sliced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons capers
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup dry white wine
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
  1. Cut up chicken to large chunks (or shred, if you prefer.) Set aside.
  2. Add oil to a large sauté pan. When the oil is warm, add garlic and pepper flakes until garlic turns golden, but not brown. Add celery and sauté for a few minutes, then add chicken.
  3. Add tomatoes, olives, capers and sugar to the chicken mixture. Pour wine and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add basil, cook for another minute or so. Remove pan off the heat. Serve with pasta.

 

Add a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe: