This is not your ordinary chicken stew — the prosciutto takes ‘Roman-Style Chicken (Pollo alla Romana)‘ to a new level. So simple to make, but delivers a complex result! Smoky, salty and slightly sweet in every spoonful. Serve it with a chunk of bread and enjoy!
Roma. That word alone evokes images in my head of endless food (and walks!). While for some people, the ultimate food that they cannot skip while in Rome is ‘Carbonara’, mine is ‘Carciofi alla Romana’ and this chicken dish, ‘Pollo alla Romana’ or Roman-Style Chicken (or just plain Chicken Romana).
I would not even try making ‘Carciofi alla Romana’ here in Stockholm — I have searched high and low for great artichokes here, no such luck. That dish is so simple that the ingredient has to be top notch to make it work. Just not in the cards for me in Stockholm, I guess.
Chicken Romana, though, (huh!) no problem at all. 🙂 I don’t even have to wait for summer to get great red and yellow bell peppers. They are available all-year round, imported from South Europe or South America. But no complaints from me.
This dish is so simple to make, but the outcome is anything but that. The chicken takes on a smoky, salty and slightly sweet flavor – brought about by the prosciutto, tomatoes and peppers. The balsamic vinegar and basil provides the freshness that cuts through the richness of the dish. As for the peppers, make sure you do NOT overcook them when grilling. From my experience, when they get overcooked, their texture (kind of) ruins the dish. They feel slimy and I personally cannot get past them – in every bite. 🙁 I always make sure I cook them just enough to still leave some crunch.
I have tried using pancetta once instead of prosciutto — not by choice, I might add. 🙂 Pancetta was all I had around so I reckoned I would give it a try. The result was not bad, but it’s TOO smoky for me. Granted, I could have used less pancetta. But I want to be able to see the pancetta too, not just taste the flavor?! You can give this a try if you want to experiment. However, the ones I had in Rome were ALWAYS with prosciutto.
Lastly, we love eating pollo alla romana with a chunk of bread – especially useful when wiping the sauce from the plates. 😉
If you are looking for more sumptuous Roman recipes, give Gnocchi alla Romana a try!
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MY AMAZON PICKS:
Also known as 'Chicken Romana', this is not your normal chicken stew. Adding prosciutto to this dish takes it to a new level! Serve with a chunk of crusty bread and a glass of wine -- enjoy! Recipe VIDEO below.
- 1 kg chicken, cut into serving sizes
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 1 small onion, sliced thinly
- 3/4 cup prosciutto, sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 15 fresh basil leaves, torn into halves (more to garnish)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 & 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
- dash of pepperoncino (chili flakes)
- salt and pepper, to season
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Heat up olive oil in a deep pan or dutch oven. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
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Once oil is ready, place the slices of chicken in the pan. Leave spaces between each chicken and cook until brown.
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Take chicken out of the pan and set aside.
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Add garlic, onion and prosciutto in the pan and cook until onion is slightly tender.
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Place chicken back in the pan, add tomatoes, basil leaves, pepperoncino and tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer until chicken is cooked, at least 30 minutes.
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Grill (or roast) yellow and red peppers, either on stove top, or in the oven. Do NOT overcook the peppers, it should still be slightly crispy. I normally just wait for the skin to brown a little on some sides.
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Set peppers aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the seeds, membranes and skin of both peppers. Chop them into half inch vertical strips.
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Once chicken is cooked, turn the heat off and add the chopped peppers. Add balsamic vinegar and mix to combine. Add fresh basil leaves.
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Serve.
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