Pollo in Umido (Braised Chicken with Potatoes)

What’s better than home-cooked Braised Chicken with Potatoes straight from a Venetian town? During a recent visit to her Italian hometown, TABLE Magazine contributor Sara Ghedina spent some time in the kitchen sharing a handful of traditional foods from the Veneto. Pollo in Umido is just one example of how classic ingredients come together in Italy to create dishes important to culinary culture.

Italian food is not all about pasta and tomato sauces. Slow cooking is often used both for fish and meat, always with a generous amount of sauce. The sauce is often incorporated the next day in some sort of pasta or polenta, getting two meals out of one.

This recipe for braised chicken uses a few basic ingredients, is easy to make, and incredibly tasty. The dish is all about simplicity and good ingredients: to fully appreciate it, use the best local chicken you can find.

What is Venetian Cuisine?

Venetian cuisine, a part of Italy’s rich culinary heritage, is characterized by its use of fresh seafood, seasonal produce, and simple yet flavorful preparations. Influenced by its coastal location and trade routes, Venetian cuisine has absorbed elements from Mediterranean and Eastern Mediterranean cultures, resulting in a unique and diverse culinary landscape.

Pollo in Umido (Braised Chicken with Potatoes) Recipe

Serves 4

Braised Chicken Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb, cut in 10 pieces
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 small bunch aromatic herbs (rosemary, parsley, basil, sage), tied together
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the potatoes:

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 3 to 4 sage leaves
• 2 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in medium-size pieces
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Braised Chicken with Potatoes Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, add onion, carrot, and celery and cook at medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Add whole garlic cloves and chicken pieces, cook and turn them around until they are brown on all sides. Turn heat to high and add white wine then let it evaporate. Lower the heat again, add the aromatic bunch and vegetable stock, cover, and simmer for about 25 minutes.
2. Puree the canned tomatoes and add them to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Serve with potatoes.

For the potatoes:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan, add garlic cloves, pepper flakes, rosemary and sage and cook for few minutes.
2. Add potatoes, season with salt and pepper, flip and fry them on medium heat until golden in color, about 10 minutes.
3. Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until potatoes are completely cooked. If you want, you can add potatoes to the chicken stew and cook them together for the last 5 minutes.

Recipe, Story, and Photography by Sara Ghedina

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