Pollo alla diavola: one of the most popular meat courses
Pollo alla diavola: one of the most popular meat courses
Equipment
- Poultry shear
- Cutting board
- Bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Whole free-range chicken
- to taste Extra virgin olive oil
- to taste Chili pepper
- 1 sprigs Rosemary
- to taste Salt
Instructions
- Split the chicken open with a poultry shear (or have the butcher prepare it for you).
- Place it on a cutting board with the open side down and mash it with a meat mallet.
- In a bowl, mix extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and a pinch of chili.
- Massage the chicken on both sides with the mix.
- Let it rest for about ½ hour.
- Put a drop of extra virgin olive oil and a twig of rosemary in a non-stick saucepan and heat it up.
- Place the chicken with the open side down, and put a weight on top (a pot filled with water will do).
- Brown it over high heat for about 5 minutes
- Turn and repeat the procedure on the other side for another 5 minutes.
- Lower heat and continue cooking for about 50 minutes, turning the chicken over every 10 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Everybody loves pollo alla diavola! Chicken can be cooked in a lot of different ways, but “alla diavola” appeals to the most demanding palates. Ready to cook? Here are some tips to get it right!
Pollo alla diavola: What kind of chicken?
To prepare pollo alla diavola you need quality chicken: we recommend free-range, preferably organic chicken, raised in the open air without antibiotics or industrial feed. The meat of this kind of chicken is firmer and leaner, well attached to the bone, and much tastier than that of commercial chicken. It is easy to recognize: :
Its meat is darker.
Its skin is yellower.
It is quite expensive (free-range chicken normally costs about 15 euros per kg).
You will find that its meat is very firm.
Preserve it properly and anyway try to cook it as soon as possible.
Extra virgin olive oil only for pollo alla diavola
You don’t need a lot of ingredients to cook pollo alla diavola. One of them is oil, of course extra virgin olive oil, and this for at least two reasons: it is tastier and healthier. EVO oil is healthy and digestible, as it contains the so-called “good fats”, which help regulate blood cholesterol levels and do not stress your liver.
It contains antioxidant substances that counteract cellular aging.
It is tastier than other types of oil and is therefore perfect for giving an extra touch of flavor to pollo alla diavola.
It withstands high temperatures and is therefore suitable for cooking over high heat.
For our chicken alla diavola we used Farchioni 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It was made from olives harvested in the best production areas and was cold extracted. Its slightly fruity taste adds flavor to the recipe, without weighing it down.
Now you know all the secrets of pollo alla diavola… Bon appétit!
