Pollo in vernaccia – Tuscan Chicken in rosemary, garlic and white wine
July 2023
This is a perfect example of Tuscan cooking where the meat becomes so tender it falls off the bones and the sauce is rendered down to an intense, umami-filled goo ready to be collected with bread or pieces of chicken. Do find your inner Tuscan and eat it with your fingers. The recipe is from the area of San Gimignano where they grow the Vernaccia grapes to make their famous wine. Vernaccia wine is dry and citrusy and suits the dish perfectly, so do hunt a bottle or two down.
Ingredients - Serves 6
1 medium chicken, jointed or 12 chicken thighs or 1 large rabbit, jointed
10 g (½ oz) rosemary needles
1 fat garlic clove, peeled
1½ teaspoons salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
400 ml (13 fl oz/13/4 cups) dry white wine, such as Vernaccia
50 g (2 oz) taggiasche or kalamata or other flavourful black olives, stones in
Trim any loose pieces of fat away from the jointed meat then wash the meat – this will get rid of any small and loose bones.
Dry on kitchen paper. Make a battuto with the rosemary, garlic, salt and a few good twists of black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the battuto and cook for just 1 minute, then add the rabbit pieces and fry for around 30 minutes, turning the meat until it is lightly golden on all sides (watch the pan to make sure the rabbit and battuto don’t burn).
When they are golden, add the wine, cover with a lid and leave to cook over a medium heat for 1.5 hours or until the wine has evaporated down to around 100 ml (3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup) and the meat falls easily from the bones.
If it is too watery, remove the lid and boil for longer.
Add the olives, cover the pan again, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Serve with spinach, roast vegetables or mash.
