Chicken Vesuvio (chicken of volcanic portions)

My family loves this simple, rustic meal. It definitely has a lot of taste, the chicken is juicy, & it's easy to make on a weeknight with my adaptations & preparation methods.

I always need familiar dishes for when I am not feeling well. So I had a whole chicken in the fridge, waiting to be cooked & I was set to make a whole other dish... but not the energy... Enter: Chicken Vesuvio, a Giada De Laurentiis "go to" meal.

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I prep it & partially cook the dinner the night before so I can come home, slip my Dutch oven into the oven, & have dinner on the table within an hour.  With this in mind, I began this dish on Wednesday night & finished it tonight- Thursday.
And boy was it delish! :)

Here's what I did:

Chicken Vesuvio

(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole Chicken, pieced (Giblets removed)
• S & P
• 1 lb new potatoes, halved
• 2 Celery Stalks, chopped into 2" pieces
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 & 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 can artichoke hearts 
• 
  

Heat the oil in large in a Dutch oven (or heavy pot) over high heat. S & P the chicken, then brown the chicken pieces on each side working in batches, about 10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a bowl. Brown the potatoes in the same pot & then add the celery, saute it for another minute. Add the whole garlic cloves, just smashed. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the water, oregano, & thyme. Return the chicken to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.


This is where I turn off the heat, allow the dutch oven to cool, then place it in the fridge, covered first, with plastic wrap. And second, with the lid, to chill overnight till I get home the next day.

Next day... In the door... Oven at 450. Take off the cover & place inside the oven to bake, about 30 minutes, until the chicken is completely cooked through & the entire contents of the pot are steaming hot & the liquid is bubbling. Add in the artichoke hearts & cook, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes. 


Transfer the chicken to a platter & arrange the potatoes, celery & artichoke hearts around the chicken. 
Serve & enjoy!

*Lishie tips- Placing the dutch oven into bake uncovered allows the chicken to crisp more. 
Adding the extra water allows for this to also be a good slowcooker meal. 
And not adding the butter at the end takes away fat. 


PS- Giada calls it Vesuvio after the volcanic mountain in Italy... for the steam that arises from the pot.