Pollo in verde

Pollo in verde is a traditional Piedmontese recipe where chicken is cooked in a rich green sauce full of aromatic herbs. Let’s look at the ingredients and preparation.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut into pieces
• Flour, as needed to flour the chicken
• 50 g of butter
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• 1 bunch of fresh basil
• 1 bunch of aromatic herbs to taste (such as marjoram and thyme)
• 1 anchovy in salt or oil, cleaned
• 1 tablespoon of salted capers, rinsed
• 2 hard-boiled egg yolks
• Stale bread
• Vegetable or chicken broth, as needed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Start by lightly flouring the chicken pieces.
2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter with a drizzle of oil and sauté the garlic until golden, then remove it.
3. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and brown them until they are well browned on all sides.
4. In the meantime, prepare the green mixture: finely chop the parsley, basil, and the other aromatic herbs you have chosen, along with the anchovy and capers. Blend this mixture with the egg yolks and a piece of stale bread soaked in a bit of broth to obtain a smooth and fairly thick sauce.
5. Once the chicken is well browned, add the green mixture to the saucepan, mix well to flavor the chicken, and cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Add just enough vegetable or chicken broth to barely cover the chicken and cook on moderate heat with the lid on for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce has slightly thickened.
7. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Curiosity

Pollo in verde originated as a recipe to use up surplus, making the most of garden herbs and good poultry. The combination of herbs, anchovies, and capers gives the dish a Mediterranean flavor that goes very well with chicken, creating a rich and aromatic dish. In Piedmontese tradition, this dish is often accompanied by polenta or good homemade bread to enjoy the sauce to its fullest.