A Meat-and-Potatoes Kind of Night: Chicken Vesuvio

Another intriguing recipe I found in Cooks' Illustrated "Cooking for Two" collection from 2010 was a dish called "Chicken Vesuvio".  The picture, on which I sometimes rely heavily, showed what looked like seared chicken breasts, peas and roasted potatoes.  Now, you may look at some of the other recipes I have written about and think "why would she pick this one?"  I think it boiled down to simple curiosity.  I've never been much of a "meat and potatoes" kind of person.  While I do love roasted chicken and potatoes, I certainly do not turn it to it often.  I do find that kind of meal composition to be really heavy and sometimes too much for when Marshall and I usually sit down to dinner:  around 7:30 or 8pm, sometimes even close to 9.  I cannot imagine eating a large helping of chicken and potatoes with a mere 2 hours before going to bed.  Anyway, I was curious about this dish, especially since it had an Italian-sounding name.  Turns out this dish originated in Chicago and was simply bone-in chicken with roasted potatoes, covered in a garlicky sauce with peas.  It sounds more English than Italian, if you ask me.

While it might sound like I'm completely bashing this meal, I really was surprised at how it tasted in the end.  Yes, this was a very hearty meal and something I would only think to cook on weekends or in the dead of winter.  You're left feeling very full afterward.  However, the meal itself was very tasty.  I ended up not really pairing this with anything, since I thought the peas in the dish were enough to cover the "vegetable" portion of our dinner.  I really enjoyed the thick gravy on the chicken and potatoes.  The peas did not lend much of their flavor to the dish; I'm thinking that originally it was just to keep the dish from looking too bland.  The flavor, though, wasn't bland at all.  This dish definitely reminded me of meals I had while visiting the mid-west, which definitely brings light to where it originated.  I can easily see this dish being plated up at family dinners in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.  Marshall and I both enjoyed this dish, but agreed it was very filling and something that would be revisited sparingly in the future.

Chicken Vesuvio
Serves 2

1/4 Cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 (6- to 8-ounce) Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless and trimmed and pounded 1/2" thick
Kosher Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
5 teaspoons Olive Oil
12 ounces Red potatoes (about 3), cut into 1" chunks
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 teaspoon Fresh Oregano, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon Dried)
1/2 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary, minced (or 1/8 teaspoon Dried)
1 Cup Chicken Broth (low-sodium)
1/4 Cup Dry White Wine
1/2 Cup Frozen Peas, thawed
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1.  Place the flour in a shallow dish.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess.

2.  Heat 1 tabepoons of the oil in a 10-ince nonstick skillet, over medium-high heat, until just smoking.  Carefully lay the chicken in the skillet and cook until lightly browned on both sides, 6-9 minutes, flipping the breasts halfway through.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.
3.  Wipe out the skillet with paper towels.  Heat the remainig 2 teaspoons of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, oregano, rosemary, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook until fragrant., about 30 seconds.  And the broth and wine, scraping up any browned bits.  Nestle the chicken, along with any accumulating juice, into the potatoes and bring to a simmer.  Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken registers 160-165F on an instant-read thermometer, 12-18 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
4.  Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.  Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce is thickened slightly, 5-7 minutes longer.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the platter with the chicken.  Off the heat, stir in the peas, butter and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and potatoes and serve.
Credit:  America's Test Kitchen:  Cooking for Two 2010, p. 2.