The Houndstooth Gourmet

Sicilian Chicken is one of those dishes which reminds me of the Italian restaurants from where I grew up in Philadelphia. In these ever-present establishments, simple Italian-American meals are served with a salad and a  side of plain old spaghetti, topped with spaghetti sauce and grated cheese which I won’t say is cheap but let’s just say it comes in a green can. And I love it. “Oh, that dish doesn’t come with a side of spaghetti?”. “Let me order one that does”.

Coincidentally, my favorite neighborhood Italian place in Philadelphia shares the name of my Houndstooth Gourmet cohort husband, Frank. Frank’s Spaghetti House is low on ambience, but big on value. Plastic booths and laminated tables yield to paper napkins and mismatched cutlery. Salads, which always begin the meal, are iceberg lettuce, cucumbers and flavorless tomatoes, sprinkled with shaved carrots. Bread, always gratis, is reminiscent of a Pillsbury loaf right out of the oven. The side of spaghetti, as I mentioned, is a heaping bowl of pasta, topped with sauce on top of which you can sprinkle grated powdered cheese from a glass shaker. Sprinkling it over your pasta  goes something like this-shake, shake, shake…..turn the shaker over to knock it on the table a few times (curse under your breath) to unclog the holes….shake, shake, shake.

It’s the Italian version of a meat and two and I pine for it.

Then there’s the hot cherry peppers which are so ubiquitous in Philly. Huge bowls of these little pain inducers are omnipresent  at corner hoagie and cheesesteak joints. Not just a garnish, but whole seeded peppers are a staple to put along side your sandwich on the paper it came wrapped in. Growing up, it was a badge of honor just to eat one.

Here’s a recipe for Sicilian Chicken, inspired by a beloved South Philadelphia restaurant called Villa di Roma. Villa di Roma serves up Italian-American fare in a no nonsense, no frills atmophere. The dishes are hearty and huge and you might just be called “hon” by your waitress(not servers-waitress….or waiter in ‘yo Philly).

Sicilian Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless, skiness chicken breasts, cut into cubes
• 2 cups porcini mushrooms, halved
• 10-12 hot cherry peppers, seeded and cut in half
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1 cup Spanish olives
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and pepper

For the spaghetti

• 1 box of spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• freshly grated parmesan or pecorino (sorry, I just can’t recommend the green can)

Directions

Liberally season chicken with kosher salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over high heat and add olive oil. When oil is very hot (starts to shimmer and smoke just a bit) add chicken. Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a bowl and sprinkle paprika over chicken. To the pan, add onions, mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Scrape up browned bits (fond) from chicken. Add capers, olives and peppers. Sautee for 3-5 minutes to heat through.

Bring heat to high and add white wine. Allow wine to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Add butter to sauce and return chicken to pan. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes to finish chicken.

While the chicken is cooking, heat your favorite pasta sauce and serve it over cooked spaghetti as a side to the chicken. Pass the grated cheese at the table to sprinkle over the spaghetti and the chicken.

* Presto Pasta Night is a really fun weekly event sponsored by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast.

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Tags: Recipe, pasta, chicken //