Chicken all’Arrabbiata
Published Oct. 29, 2024

- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs ( 4 to 6 thighs)
- Salt and black pepper
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1medium shallot minced
- 6garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼cup chopped jarred Calabrian chiles or hot cherry peppers
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 1(28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
- Polenta, for serving
- Fresh parsley, for serving
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Step 2
On a plate, pat chicken thighs with a paper towel until the skin is dry, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over. Set an oven-proof skillet or pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook, untouched, for 9 minutes. When the skin is crisped and releases from the pan, return thighs to the same plate and set aside. (The chicken will not be cooked through at this point.)
- Step 3
Add shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper, chopped chiles and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook until the shallot is softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juices and a big pinch each of salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits, for about 5 minutes.
- Step 4
Remove the pan from the heat. Tuck the chicken thighs into the pan, skin-side up, ensuring they are covered in tomato sauce. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
- Step 5
Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning and spice level as necessary. Serve warm, over polenta, and garnish with fresh parsley.
Private Notes
Comments
I think the part about tucking the chicken thighs, "ensuring they are covered in tomato sauce" is wrong. That takes the crispy skin and makes it mushy, which defeats the whole point of skin-on chicken thighs. I think it should say, "immerse the chicken into the sauce as much as possible without getting sauce on the skin".
Good recipe but 1/4 cup of Calabrian chili peppers is insane. That’s 4 tablespoons of some serious heat. One tablespoon will bring a tear to your eye. Two is about all I’d use. Four is bordering on the absurd.
MOTHER OF GOD. This was SO SPICY. My husband and I like spicy things and this just about killed us. We didn't even use the chili flakes; only the Calabrian peppers. He had sweat dripping down his temples and I could not eat more than two bites because my tongue hurt so much. Do you know the children's book Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin? It was like a reenactment of that, with the two of us as the fire breathing dragons.
I didn't find this that spicy and added extra Calabrian peppers. It was a family hit!
any ideas for different recipes or substitutions in this one for people who can't tolerate any heat?
you say cook chicken thighs skin side down for 9 minutes and then remove to a plate. But what about the other side? Surely if you're browning chicken you want to brown both sides. Why wasn't this specified?
@Lee Norris The browning is to extract flavor and in the end have tender almost fall-off-the bone chicken. Browning the non-skinned underside is not necessary and can sometimes toughen the chicken as it is braised. This is a northern Italian technique, but there is no one right or “authentic” way to make any Italian dish.
