Serves 6

Notes

This chicken dish should have a stick-to-the-finger sensation when done. Chicken pieces on the bone can be very good prepared this way -just keep in mind that they will need 15 minutes additional cooking time and about a half cup more chicken stock than is called for in the recipe below.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, sliced
  • salt
  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup aromatic white wine, such as Gewurztraminer or Reisling
  • 1/2 cup Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth (Chicken Stock Recipe)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Lidia’s Italian Table

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Lidia’s Italian Table

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Directions

In a wide (at least 12-inch), heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until the sausage is lightly browned on all sides, about 3 minutes for thinner sausages and 5 minutes for wider sausages. Pour off the fat from the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Season the chicken cubes with salt and add them to the skillet. Cook the chicken, turning the pieces often, until light golden brown, about 4 minutes. About halfway through, clear a small area on the side of the skillet and add the garlic to it. When the garlic is light golden brown, about 1 minute, stir it into the chicken and sausage mixture. Drizzle the honey over the chicken and sausage and cook, stirring constantly, until the chicken is a rich mahogany color, about 1 minute. Add the butter and stir until melted. Pour in the vinegar and bring to a boil. Boil until the vinegar is almost entirely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and then add the chicken stock. Boil until the sauce is quite thick and there is just enough sauce to barely coat the chicken pieces, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the parsley over the chicken and serve.

Note: For this dish I prefer Luganica, a thin (about 1/2-inch-wide) pork sausage seasoned only with salt and pepper and without seeds. If that is unavailable, use the wider (about 1-inch-thick) sweet pork sausages, preferably made without seeds of any kind. Cut the smaller Luganica into 1-inch lengths and the wider sausages into ½-inch slices.

Lidia’s Italian Table

Cookbook

Lidia’s Italian Table

buy now