Homemade Italian Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

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This authentic recipe has been named after the famous Mount Vesuvius Volcano in Campania, Italy. Some also believe this dish is named thus because it was first served in a restaurant in the Vesuvio district of Chicago. The chicken Vesuvio recipe is one of the most sought-after dishes in Chicago’s Italian-American restaurants.

You can prepare this dish in many different ways and use some of your creativity as well. However, we will tell you the most common way to make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio and the ingredients you need for the same.

Though this dish originates in the southern part of Italy, it is believed to have been first served in a beautiful restaurant named Little Italy in Chicago. This dish has many variations, as the Vesuvio can also be prepared using pork chops, steaks, or only potatoes.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

Ingredients

• Chicken – about 2 to 3 pounds (you can use only chicken thighs and legs, or you can use the breasts as well)
• ideally, it would be great if you have two pieces each of breasts, thighs, legs, and wings
• Salt – about 2 teaspoons
• Pepper – 1 teaspoon (always use freshly ground black pepper for this recipe)
• Olive Oil – about 1/3 cup (for the skillet)
• Canola oil – 2 cups (for frying the potatoes)
• Russet Potatoes – 3 (peeled and cut into wedges
• keep them thick)
• Garlic – 2 cloves (use freshly crushed garlic cloves for additional flavors)
• Dried oregano – 1 or 2 tablespoons
• White wine – ½ cup
• Parsley leaves (freshly chopped) – 2 tablespoons

Kitchen Equipment:

• Oven
• Heavy skillet or Dutch oven
• Deep frying pan
• Tongs or spatula
• Thermometer (for checking chicken’s internal temperature)
• Platter for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven:
   • Set your oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Prepare Chicken:
   • Clean the chicken pieces in cold water.
   • Pat them dry completely.
3. Marinate Chicken:
   • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
4. Brown the Chicken:
   • Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
   • Place the chicken in the hot oil, starting with breasts, followed by thighs and other parts.
   • Cook until each side is golden brown.
   • Once browned, remove the chicken, keeping some oil in the skillet.
5. Bake Chicken:
   • Put the chicken back in the skillet.
   • Transfer it to the preheated oven, uncovered.
   • Bake for 25 minutes, turning the chicken occasionally.
6. Fry Potato Wedges:
   • Heat canola oil in a deep frying pan.
   • Once it reaches 350 degrees F, fry potato wedges in batches.
   • Fry until golden, then place on tissue to drain oil.
7. Combine Ingredients:
   • 5 minutes before the chicken baking time ends, add fried potatoes, garlic, oregano, and wine to the skillet.
   • Return the skillet to the oven for another 5 minutes or until the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
8. Final Touches:
   • Remove the skillet from the oven.
   • Add chopped parsley and gently stir.
   • Transfer everything to a serving platter.
   • Pour the remaining juices from the skillet over the chicken.
9. Serve:
   • Your Italian Chicken Vesuvio is ready to be enjoyed!

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Some variants you can try – Italian Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

• After the chicken and potatoes are cooked for 25 minutes, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a stovetop. Melt some butter and add frozen green peas to the dish. Cook on a low flame until the butter turns silky, making your whole dish tasty. Switch off the flame and serve immediately.
• If you want to make this dish healthier, you can skip frying the potatoes. Instead, you can bake them. Apply some olive oil to the skillet and place the cut potatoes in them. Keep sautéing them until they turn golden. If your skillet cannot hold all the potatoes at once, you can sauté them in batches to ensure even cooking. Once the potato wedges turn golden brown, you can place the seasoned chicken, garlic, oregano, wine sauce, and other ingredients on top of them and cook everything for about 30 minutes.
• For best results, always use dry wines like Sauvignon Blanc when using white wine. To make the Italian Chicken Vesuvio recipe juicier and tastier, you can add chicken broth and white wine.
• Instead of olive oil, you can use any other high-heat oils of your choice. However, grapeseed and coconut oils are good choices.
• If you don’t get thighs or wings, you can still make the dish very well with boneless and skinless chicken breasts alone.
• If you want to make this dish a non-alcoholic one, you can skip the white wine completely and replace it with a combination of low-sodium chicken broth and lemon juice. However, remember to use only a little lemon juice, as it can make the entire dish sour.
• When you are frying potatoes and garlic, you can add about ½ chopped onion to the pan.
• Also, If you’d like, you can add some peas to this recipe.

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