Sicilian Chicken in Wine Sauce -Pollo al Vin Cotto

Sicilian chicken recipe pollo al vin cotto in a dark skillet with green olives, capers, and fresh parsley

Sicilian Chicken in Wine Sauce -Pollo al Vin Cotto

Rich, glossy, and packed with the bold sweet-sour flavours of Sicily — this red wine reduction chicken is easier than it looks and impossible to forget. One pan, pantry ingredients, and a bottle of red wine are all you need.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Sicilian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Servings

Calories 887kcal

Author by Jenny Skrapaliori Graves

Ingredients

For the Vin Cotto

4½ cups dry red wine
½ cup honey
2 cinnamon sticks
3 whole cloves

For the Chicken

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces, rinsed and patted dry (or substitute bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks)
1 large onion, cut into large dice
2 carrots, diced
½ cup green olives Sicilian, such as Castelvetrano or Kalamata, halved and pitted
3 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon capers rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon pine nuts toasted
3 tablespoons blanched almonds toasted
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
chili flakes
¼ cup flat-leaf Italian parsley finely chopped

Instructions

Make the vin cotto. Combine the red wine, honey, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly, then remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Set aside.
4½ cups dry red wine, 2 cinnamon sticks, 3 whole cloves, ½ cup honey
Brown the chicken. In a 10–12-inch sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over high heat until very hot but not smoking. Season the chicken pieces with sea salt and place skin-side down in the pan. Brown well on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Do not rush or crowd the pan.
1 whole chicken , ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Build the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring, until deeply golden. Add the olives, raisins, capers, pine nuts, and almonds, stirring well to combine.
1 large onion, cut into large dice, 2 carrots, diced, ½ cup green olives, 3 tablespoons raisins, 1 tablespoon capers, 1 tablespoon pine nuts, 3 tablespoons blanched almonds
Deglaze with vin cotto. Pour in ½ cup of the vin cotto and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it reduce by half, then add the remaining ½ cup of vin cotto and bring to a boil.
Add the agrodolce. Stir together the red wine vinegar and sugar in a small bowl. Add to the pan and cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces to a thick, glossy glaze. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
1 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cup sugar, sea salt , freshly ground black pepper
Finish and serve. Transfer chicken to a warmed platter. Drizzle with olive oil, crack over black pepper, scatter the red pepper flakes and parsley, and serve immediately.
chili flakes, ¼ cup flat-leaf Italian parsley

Notes

The vin cotto can be made up to 1 week ahead and stored in a sealed jar in the fridge.
Leftover vin cotto is wonderful drizzled over aged cheese or ice cream.
For a milder dish, reduce the red pepper flakes to ½ tablespoon.
Leftovers reheat the next day beautifully — the flavors deepen overnight.

Nutrition