Patti Conciatori is a wonderful cook and after marrying into an Italian family she came to master the art of Italian cooking. As a mother of three college-aged girls, Patti often has a house full of family & friends. She entertain crowds in a warm, welcoming, and relaxed style in both her Cape Cod and Darien, Connecticut homes. I asked Patti to share one of her favorite family dishes – a Sicilian chicken dish which doesn’t disappoint. -Margie
Patti Conciatori
wife, mother, and home cook
I often tweak recipes based on personal tastes and what I have in my house, which is what I’ve done with this delicious and hearty Sicilian Chicken Stew recipe adapted from Mario Batali. It is a perfect slow cooked meal on a cold night and it makes enough to feed a crowd. The cook time may seem lengthy, but the longer it cooks the more flavor and richer the taste. All you need to add is some crunchy Umbria mix on top, a side salad, and some good bread to scoop up every last bite.
I love to cook simple delicious meals and am thrilled that my three college-aged daughters are finally asking for my recipes!
16 pieces of chicken – mostly skinless boneless thighs and two skinless, boneless breasts cut in half
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled, cut in chunks
1 large eggplant, cut in large cubes
4 green bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced into very small pieces
6 medium carrots, sliced into ½ inch rounds
6 plum tomatoes, cut in chunks
1 cup of Sicilian olives
4 tablespoons of salt-packed capers, rinsed
1 bottle of red wine
6 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
6 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Pinch of hot red pepper flakes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken pieces in batches and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In same pan, combine potatoes, peppers, eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, olives and capers and cook until softened, but not browned, about 8 – 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add all the wine and return chicken to the pot and bring to a boil.
Cover Dutch oven and put in oven at 350° for 2 ½ hours. Uncover and leave in warm oven for 2 hours. Turn oven up to 200° and reheat an hour before serving.
Stir in half the mint and parsley. Transfer stew to large serving dish. Top with remaining mint and parsley, Umbria nut & spice mix and drizzle with olive oil. Serve!
Notes
from Margie: When I recently made this dish I reduced the size to half since it was just a meal for my husband and me. Even doing so, I found I needed to transfer my ingredients into a large stock pot because they would not fit into my cast iron dutch oven. So use a large pot, and if you are making the entire recipe, use the largest one you have. You'll be glad the recipe yields a lot because it is just SO good!
SICILIAN CHICKEN STEW
Patti Conciatori is a wonderful cook and after marrying into an Italian family she came to master the art of Italian cooking. As a mother of three college-aged girls, Patti often has a house full of family & friends. She entertain crowds in a warm, welcoming, and relaxed style in both her Cape Cod and Darien, Connecticut homes. I asked Patti to share one of her favorite family dishes – a Sicilian chicken dish which doesn’t disappoint. -Margie
Patti Conciatori
wife, mother, and home cook
I often tweak recipes based on personal tastes and what I have in my house, which is what I’ve done with this delicious and hearty Sicilian Chicken Stew recipe adapted from Mario Batali. It is a perfect slow cooked meal on a cold night and it makes enough to feed a crowd. The cook time may seem lengthy, but the longer it cooks the more flavor and richer the taste. All you need to add is some crunchy Umbria mix on top, a side salad, and some good bread to scoop up every last bite.
I love to cook simple delicious meals and am thrilled that my three college-aged daughters are finally asking for my recipes!
8 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
from Margie: When I recently made this dish I reduced the size to half since it was just a meal for my husband and me. Even doing so, I found I needed to transfer my ingredients into a large stock pot because they would not fit into my cast iron dutch oven. So use a large pot, and if you are making the entire recipe, use the largest one you have. You'll be glad the recipe yields a lot because it is just SO good!