Contadina in Italian means Farmhouse & is such a good name for this dish.
Very rarely does a lemon based dish in any cuisine have such subtle flavors combining the strong acidic flavors from lemon juice with a slight tanginess from diced tomatoes. It goes to show what a great combination of flavors it is.
This dish is an excellent example of good rustic cuisine from Emilia Romagna and is just another reason I so love this cuisine. Though what makes this such a favorite is that the though the cooking from this region truly celebrate meats and pork in particular and can be quite rich, this particular dish leaves one a sense of being light and refreshing.
Fresh herbs like sage, parsley, finely chopped carrots, tomatoes, onions and most importantly lemon zest and lemon juice, the chicken is stewed with all these wonderful ingredients in its own juices.
So perfect with simple mashed potatoes or some rustic bread to sop up the juices. A good salad, a nice wine will complete the meal splendidly!
Gather the ingredients,
3-4 lb whole chicken, cut at the joints, 1 medium yellow onion (to yield 1 cup finely chopped), 1 small carrot, 3-4 ripe red tomatoes (to yield 1 cup finely chopped), 1 lemon, 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled, 6-8 leaves sage, 1 cup packed parsley leaves, 3/4 cup water, 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Chicken: Cut at the joints and cut the breast into 2 pieces if desired. You can ask your butcher to do this for you. Lay the chicken pieces out between 2 paper towels and thoroughly dry.
The Geek Tip! It is imperative to dry the chicken because the browning of the chicken a.k.a Maillard reaction (pronounced Maayaard) that we love that allows this browning to occur and flavor and color molecules to be released can only occur much above the boiling point of water (212 deg F ) close to 300 deg F. For that to occur, some of the water must evaporate on the skin, and it must be pan fried in very hot oil allowing the temperatures at the surface of the skin to far exceed that of the boling point of water!
Onion: Peel, cut and discard skin and the ends. Finely chop and set aside.
Carrot: Peel and finely chop into no larger than 1/4" pieces.
Tomato: Halve. Using a spoon, cut away the seed and pulp core. Finely chop the tomato and set aside.
Sage: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Chop and set aside with the onions.
Parsley: Separate the leaves from the stalk. Finely chop and set aside. Reserve 1 tbs later for garnish.
Lemon: Zest the lemon. Cut into 2 halves after zesting and set aside.
Bring a 12-inch chicken fryer or large heavy bottom saute pan to heat. Add the olive oil and heat until very hot.
Place the chicken skin side down ensuring the chicken is not touching. Do not over crowd the pan and do this in 2 batches.
Brown for about 5-7 minutes on one side until a crispy golden brown and turn over. Repeat on the other side. Remove the chicken to a platter. Brown the 2nd batch on chicken and place on the platter.
In the same oil, add the chopped onion, carrots, parsley, sage and lemon zest. Add 1 tsp salt and saute on medium low heat for a good 10-15 minutes until the onion has softened but not browned.
The Geek Tip! Always add a pinch of salt while sauteing the onions. It increases the charge on the outside of the cells forcing the water out of the onions allowing them to sauteed and softened making them quite delicious.
To the onions, add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tsp salt, ground black pepper and water. Stir to combine. Add the chicken in a single layer as much as possible and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon onto the chicken. Use a sieve or your fingers to prevent any seeds from falling into the chicken.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for approx 35 minutes on medium heat until the chicken is soft and tender.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, squeeze the remaining lemon juice all over the chicken, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Delicious with a side of mashed potatoes!
Recipe for
Contadina Lemon Chicken from Emilia Romagna
(Recipe from i Sapori dell' Emilia)
Preparation time – 20 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Shopping list
3-4 lb whole chicken, cut at the joints
1 medium yellow onion (to yield 1 cup finely chopped)
1 small carrot
3-4 ripe red tomatoes (to yield 1 cup finely chopped)
1 lemon
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
6-8 leaves sage
1 cup packed parsley leaves
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Preparation:
Chicken: Cut at the joints and cut the breast into 2 pieces if desired. You can ask your butcher to do this for you. Lay the chicken pieces out between 2 paper towels and thoroughly dry.
Onion: Peel, cut and discard skin and the ends. Finely chop and set aside.
Carrot: Peel and finely chop into no larger than 1/4" pieces.
Tomato: Halve. Using a spoon, cut away the seed and pulp core. Finely chop the tomato and set aside.
Sage: Seperate the leaves from the stalk. Chop and set aside with the onions.
Parsley: Seperate the leaves from the stalk. Finely chop and set aside. Reserve 1 tbs later for garnish.
Lemon: Zest the lemon. Cut into 2 halves after zesting and set aside.
Method:
Bring a 12-inch chicken fryer or large heavy bottom saute pan to heat. Add the olive oil and heat until very hot.
Place the chicken skin side down ensuring the chicken is not touching. Do not over crowd the pan and do this in 2 batches.
Brown for abour 5-7 minutes on one side until a crispy golden brown and turn over. Repeat on the other side. Remove the chicken to a platter. Brown the 2nd batch on chicken and place on the platter.
In the same oil, add the chopped onion, carrots, parsley, sage and lemon zest. Add 1 tsp salt and saute on medium low heat for a good 10-15 minutes until the onion has softened but not browned.
To the onions, add the tomatoes, garlic, 1 tsp salt, ground black pepper and water. Stir to combine. Add the chicken in a single layer as much as possible and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon onto the chicken. Use a sieve or your fingers to prevent any seeds from falling into the chicken.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for approx 35 minutes on medium heat until the chicken is soft and tender.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Just before serving, squeeze the remaining lemon juice all over the chicken, garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediatly.
Delicious with a side of mashed potatoes.
Enjoy!
