Name: Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 1/2 hr
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), backbones cut out and each chicken cut into 12 pieces (see cooks' note, below); 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme; 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary; 1 tablespoon fine sea salt; 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes; 10 garlic cloves, peeled; 2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 cup dry white wine; 24 oil-cured black olives

Image may contain Animal Bird Poultry Fowl and Food

Photo by Marcus Nilsson

Oltranti and his family prepare this dish with rabbit, but it's equally appealing with chicken. Roasted with super-savory pancetta and olives, the garlicky meat stays moist in a shallow bath of white wine.

Cooks' note:

To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.

Recipe notes

See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips

23 Pancetta-Packed Recipes
The cured Italian meat has a way of working magic no matter where it goes, from Brussels sprouts to bread stuffing.

Caramelized Onion Pasta

Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.

Heavenly Halva Cake

Serve a thick slice for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up.

Vodka Gochujang Pasta

This pasta has some really big energy about it. It’s so extra, it’s the type of thing you should be eating in your bikini while drinking a magnum of rosé, not in Hebden Bridge (or wherever you live), but on a beach on Mykonos.

Our Favorite French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.

Kung Pao Cabbage With Tofu

Reliable cabbage is cooked in the punchy sauce and then combined with store-bought baked tofu and roasted cashews for a salad that can also be eaten with rice.

Smothered Italian Sausage

This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.

Golden Mushroom Soup With Orzo & a Pat of Butter

This is the type of soup that, at first glance, might seem a little…unexciting. But you’re underestimating the power of mushrooms, which do the heavy lifting.

White Bean Turkey Chili

A dash of cocoa powder adds depth and richness to the broth of this easy turkey chili.

Recipe notes

23 Pancetta-Packed Recipes