Golden chicken, sweet tomatoes, Sicilian olives and fragrant spices come together in a rich Sicilian chicken recipe made for slow, generous meals.
2 people
Did you know?
Freshly grated lemon rind can replace preserved lemon in this tasteful Sicilian chicken recipe.
1
Preheat oven to 200°C. Place saffron threads into a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons boiling water. Set aside.
2
Heat oil in a large frying pan; add onions and cook over a low heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add garlic, cardamom, cumin, pepper and cinnamon sticks and cook, stirring for 2 minutes longer.
3
Add the saffron threads (including the liquid), tomatoes and honey and stir to combine. Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the mixture into a 10-cup capacity (6 cm deep) ovenproof dish.
4
Cut through the leg and thigh joint of each chicken Maryland. Place each drumstick and thigh skin side up in the tomato mixture. Brush each chicken piece with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
5
Cover dish with foil and bake 20 minutes; uncover and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until chicken is golden. Scatter olives over the chicken and cook for 5 minutes longer.
6
Serve Sicilian chicken with quinoa. Sprinkle with parsley and preserved lemon.
This Sicilian chicken begins with onions cooked slowly until soft and sweet, then layered with garlic, saffron, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon. As the spices open up in the pan, Mutti Whole Baby Roma Tomatoes bring body and sweetness, creating a rich sauce that surrounds the chicken as it cooks.
The whole tomatoes soften in the oven while keeping their character, absorbing the spices, honey and savoury juices from the chicken. Their natural sweetness balances the deeper aromatic notes, giving this chicken with tomatoes a sauce that feels generous without becoming heavy.
Green Sicilian olives add a salty, savoury contrast just before the dish is finished, while preserved lemon and parsley bring freshness at the table. Together, they lift the tomato sauce and give the roasted chicken a brighter Mediterranean finish.
Served over quinoa, this Mediterranean chicken recipe brings together tender meat, fragrant tomato sauce and bold aromatic flavours in one comforting dish. It is the kind of meal that fills the kitchen with spice and invites everyone to gather around the table.
