Pan-Roasted Chicken with Sweet Sausage and peppers

By susanwadle

Here a whole frying chicken is cut into pieces (I had the butcher cut each breast half in half, resulting in 10 pieces), seasoned and cooked with sausages, then added to a stew of peppers that's seasoned and finished in the oven. This is a wonderfully satisfying dish with robust flavors of the peppers and sausage

Ingredients

• Chicken brine:
• Two 2 1/2 - 3 pound chickens
• 2 1/2 lemons (halved)
• 12 bay leaves
• 2 ounces flat-leaf parsley
• 1 ounce fresh thyme (1/2 bunch)
• 1/2 cup clover honey
• 1/2 head garlic (whole head is halved through the equator)
• 1/8 cup black peppercorns
• 1 cup (5 ounces) Diamond Crystal kosher salt (if using another brand of kosher salt, use exactly 5 ounces)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Canola oil
• 3 sweet (mild) Italian sausages
• Peperonata Rustica:
• 6 yellow bell peppers
• 6 red bell peppers
• Canola Oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces jarred piquillo peppers, drained, peeled and seeded
• 1/2 cup jarred Soffritto
• 1 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
• 3/4 teaspoon piment d'Espelette
• 1 tablespoon minced chives
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fleur de sel
• 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Make the brine:

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely, then chill before using. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Make the Peperonata Rustica:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the bell peppers lengthwise in half and remove the stems and seeds. Toss the peppers with oil to coat and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the peppers cut side down on the baking sheets, the red peppers on one, the yellow peppers on the other.

Roast the peppers until the skin is blistering, 30 - 35 minutes for the red and 35 - 40 for the yellow; do not allow the edges to blacken. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container with a lid.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel them. Tear them lengthwise into strips about 3/4" wide. Tear the piquilllos into strips in the same way.

Combine all of the peppers, the soffritto, stock and Espelette in a medium saucepan over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, to soften the peppers completely and meld the flavors.

Sprinkle with chives.

Cut the chickens into 10 pieces each: 2 legs, 2 thighs, 4 breast quarters and 2 wings (I save myself the effort and have the butcher do it for me)

Pour the brine into a container large enough to hold the chicken, add the chicken, and refrigerate for 12 hours (no longer, or the chicken may become too salty) Note: you can rinse the chicken off, dry and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook (up to 1 day)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the brine (discard the brine) and rinse under cold water, removing any herbs or spices sticking to the skin. Pat dry with paper towels or let air-dry. Season with thighs and drumsticks with salt and pepper.

Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin side down, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until the chicken is golden and the chicken is golden and the sausage is browned and crisp, 10 - 12 minutes (it won't be fully cooked); once the chicken is browned, turn the pieces over and sear the other side for 1 minute. Transfer the chicken pieces and sausages to a plate as they are ready.

Season the chicken wings and breasts with salt and pepper, place skin-side down in the saute pan, and cook until the skin is crisp and golden and the chicken is almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Drain any remaining oil from the pan and return to the heat. Add the peperonata to the pan, bring to a simmer, and add the chicken, tucking it into the peppers. Cut the sausages in half and nestle them in the pan. Transfer to the oven and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and top with the parsley leaves. Serve directly from the pan.