Chicken, garlic, wine, potatoes and herbs is always a winning combination!

When Giada De Laurentiis first hit the food channel air waves a few years ago, I couldn't get enough of her.  There was something about her Italian recipes that kept me riveted.  I have turned several of her recipes into staples which I can depend on when having a dinner party.  Of those, my favorite is Chicken Vesuvio.  I loved that the reason this dish is so named is because when you introduce the white wine to the sizzling pot...a mass of steam shoots up into the air like Mount Vesuvius in Italy...I though it was clever.
Anyhow, if you love garlic and you want to cook a meal with wafting smells to treat your senses as you cook, then simply make this dish.  It is economical as well as tasty.  It calls for reasonably priced chicken thighs.  It's basically a one pot dish...hopefully this is enough to convince you to try it. 

Chicken Vesuvio

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 chicken thighs with skin and bones

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, halved

4 large garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

8 ounces frozen artichoke hearts or 1 cup frozen lima beans, thawed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

Heat the oil in large ovenproof pot over high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches if necessary, cook the chicken in the pot until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl. Carefully add the potatoes to the same pot and cook until they are golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the broth, oregano, and thyme. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Cover and bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Arrange the potatoes around chicken. Add the artichoke hearts to the sauce in the pot. Cover and simmer over high heat until the artichokes are tender, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Turn heat to low. Stir in the butter. Pour the sauce over chicken and potatoes, and serve

I have substituted chopped sun dried tomatoes and chopped greek kalamata olives for the artichokes/lima beans, but I suggest making the recipe as is first...it's fantastic as is.

Wait till you smell this dish cooking!

robert