Potenza is the capital of Basilicata, the remote region of my maternal ancestry. About a decade ago, when my mother and I visited the area to dig up some old family records, we made a detour through the city solely for the purpose of gazing at the Ponte Musmeci, a reinforced concrete bridge and supreme achievement of Brutalist architecture that crosses the Basento River at the edge of Potenza. Most visitors to Basilicata don’t make it to this town—these days, they head to Matera or Bernalda, closer to the Puglia border—but we were glad we stuck around, and not just for the weird and wonderful bridge. Coincidentally, we encountered a procession for San Gerardo, Potenza’s patron saint and, by extension, pollo alla potentina, the chicken dish made with tomatoes, onions, and chili that locals make for this holiday.
Chicken might not seem like a festive ingredient, but throughout Italy, it is a traditional food associated with holidays. For example, on Ferragosto (August 15 and the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin), Romans eat fettuccine with a sauce of chicken innards followed by chicken braised with bell peppers. I’ll be making this chicken today, diverging from the customs of my adoptive to reflect my Lucanian roots.
Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons pork lard or extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chicken, salted in advance and cut into 8 pieces
1 onion, halved and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Sea salt
1 teaspoon peperoncino or dried red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
Melt the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. When the fat shimmers, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook, turning once, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning. If the chicken skin sticks to the bottom of the pan while browning, do not force turning or flipping—it will release from the pan when it is ready. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the peperoncino and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and scrape up any browned bits from the sides and bottom of the pan. When the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes, add the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt.
Return all the chicken pieces except the breasts to the pan and add enough water to cover it halfway. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender but not falling away from the bone and the sauce has reduced but is not dry. Return the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook on low until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 145°F, about 20 minutes more. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a bit more water.
Serve.
Recipe from Food of the Italian South. Photo by Ed Anderson.
