Originally a Roman recipe but every region has a variation of this succulent dish. In the Roman version, which is what I use, the chicken is crushed by a weight against the frying pan for it to better adhere and create its crunchy crust.
prep time 10 min + 30 min marinating cook time 50-60 min
ingredients for 4
- 1 kg chicken, whole
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- crushed or powdered peperoncino
- optional: rosemary/oregano/garlic
1. To cook chicken alla diavola, start by cutting your chicken from top to bottom along the spine. You can also cut it along the chest, but the important thing is that you can then crush it and make it stick well to the frying pan.
2. Flatten the chicken on a work surface and wet the meat with two tablespoons of olive oil to which you have previously added the peperoncino. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and let marinate about 30 min, so that it can absorb the flavors well. You can also add herbs and aromas to further flavor the meat, but do not overdo it – you don’t want to obscure its flavor.
3. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and place the chicken with the split part down. Cover the chicken with a flat plate, I used a round tray, and a weight to keep it pressed while cooking. I used a pot full of water. Keep the chicken in this position and let it cook for 25 minutes over low to medium heat, allowing it to brown without burning the skin. After 25 min turn the chicken and let it cook for another 25-30 min. There is another school of thought which asks you to keep turning the chicken every 5 minutes. I belong to the turn-one-time-only category 🙂
4. Serve the chicken well browned, hot and crunchy!
BUON APPETITO!