Chicken Castelvetrano

Dinner Ideas

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Chicken Castelvetrano

Servings: 4-6

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)

Salt and black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

Crushed red pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 lemons

1 cup pitted Castelvetrano or kalamata olives, smashed and roughly chopped

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium shallot minced

2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed—I use Jasmine rice

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley, for serving

A note on making this:

• Castelvetrano olives really bring a nice tang and depth of flavor to this dish. Kalamatas will work too, but I think it’s worth it to find Castelvetranos if you can. Just make sure they do not have pits!

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Use paper towels to pat the chicken thighs until dry on all sides.
• Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper and dried oregano and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
• Place a large Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add oil. Let oil heat up for a few minutes. Add thighs to the pot, Skin side down, and let cook undisturbed until they self-release from the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Cut lemons into ¼-inch-thick slices. Add to the pot and cook until caramelized and softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Add the olives, garlic, shallot and 1 teaspoon each salt, pepper and dried oregano to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the rice and broth to the pot, stir to combine and cover until it comes to a boil, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the pot from heat, add the browned chicken thighs on top of the rice, skin side up, then cover the chicken thighs with the lemon slices.
• Place the pot, covered, into the oven and bake until the rice and chicken are fully cooked, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve topped with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.