Chicken Canzanese

We survived! It has undoubtedly been one of the longest weeks of my life, but we're safe and that's what matters. The hurricane hit us around midnight with a screaming loud vengeance. Since my husband was out of town, I spent the night with one little foot under my ribs and one in my face.  My kids were way too scared to go to bed.  I couldn't blame them, the wind made my steel door shake so loudly that you would have thought a heard of aliens were desperately trying to come in.  The power was out that night, and just returned yesterday, six days later.  You never could have told me that the power was going to be out that long.  Luckily, thanks to good neighbors and friends, we all got through it.  My husband made it back safely, and I will never again take heat or light for granted.  My thoughts and prayers to those who lost so much and are still waiting for heat and power.  I hope things return to normal very quickly!

Back to the food...I'm going to just go ahead and say it, this might be the best chicken I have ever had...like, ever.  I'm already a huge fan of dark meat chicken, but add luxurious ingredients like bacon, wine and fresh herbs, and I'm practically floating out of my chair.  I would happily pay good money for something like this at a restaurant.  This is a bit time consuming, but SO worth it.

Chicken Canzanese
From What's Cooking Chicago?

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces of diced prosciutto or bacon (I used bacon)
2 garlic cloves sliced lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, (trimmed of excess fat and skin)
2 teaspoons flour
2 cups dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock or broth
4 clove buds
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, minced
15 whole fresh sage leaves
2 bay leaves
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 325?, with the rack at middle-lower position. Season the chicken lightly with kosher salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder as desired.

In a large skillet (I used my 12" cast iron skillet), heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and saute the prosciutto/bacon until fragrant, and add the garlic slices and minced garlic, cooking for just a minute or so until lightly golden. Remove and place in a small bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet without cleaning the pan, add the rest of the olive oil and heat until very hot. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down, and cook without disturbing for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Flip pieces over and cook another 5 minutes. You may need to do this in batches. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Remove some of the rendered fat from the pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Make a blond roux by adding the flour to the pan, and stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon or spatula until fragrant, about one minute. Add the wine and broth, slowly, stirring to make a smooth, slightly thin sauce, continuing to scrape the bottom until all the browned bits have been scraped up off the bottom of the pan. If the sauce begins to lump, whisk vigorously until it smoothes out. Add in the whole cloves, red pepper flakes, sage leaves, bay leaves, and reserved prosciutto/bacon and garlic.

Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer, skin-side up so it rests above the liquid. Place the skillet uncovered into the preheated oven and bake until chicken is completely tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Check on the chicken after about 15 minutes after you place it in the oven - the broth should be barely bubbling. If it is boiling or not bubbling at all, raise or lower your temperature slightly, accordingly.

Remove chicken from pan to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil, leaving the sauce in the skillet. Remove the sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves and bay leaves and discard. Place skillet over high heat on the stovetop, and bring the sauce to a boil. Cook the sauce until it has reduced and thickened. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, butter, and minced rosemary. Pour sauce around chicken, and serve.

Served with rice to soak of that sauce, and sauteed mushrooms, because well, it just seemed appropriate for this dish.