So you’re thinking CHICKEN again Paula? Come on! Well, yes, it IS technically another chicken recipe but hold on, just because it’s chicken doesn’t have to mean bland or boring. You should know by now (if you’ve been following me on my culinary tales) that I don’t have your run-of-the-mill chicken recipes. Oh no, it’s one I know you’re going to want to put into your poultry files! It’s one that I’m fairly sure you probably don’t have. It’s Pollo allo Spumante. Pronounced Po-low all-oh Spu-mon-tay or Fizzy Chicken as I like to call it LOL! And I’m sure it’s one you’ll be coming back to again & again.

I call it Fizzy because it’s made with sparkling wine (ie: Prosecco, Champagne, etc.) I’ve done it with both & it’s scrumptious either way.

There are a few things I ALWAYS have in my house, among the long list of them are: Garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pasta & PROSECCO. That’s right baby. Prosecco. If you haven’t had it, you’re missing out. It’s an amazing Italian Sparkling Wine (of course) & it is from one of my favorite Regions…dum dum dum… Veneto (we all know Friuli is my first & foremost love)! Just sayin’.  And there is also a Pink Prosecco! Yes, PINK! Hello Fabulous!

Couple things…If you don’t have a whole chicken on hand, it’s completely fine to use chicken pieces. Thighs are especially delectable with this & stand up well to the low & slow cooking. If you don’t have a sieve to strain the sauce that’s fine too. It will just be a little more rustic as I like to call it & have some extra texture to it. Nothin’ wrong with that. You will however want to remove the bay leaf  if you don’t sieve (not so tasty to crunch down on, trust me LOL we call those kinda things the “bonus” when something gets accidentally left in the dish! Feel free to use that if you like LOL) The sieving just creates a smooth & silky sauce.

One last but not least item…I have become accustomed to measuring all of my ingredients lately (since after all metric is the name of the game with my Italian recipes tee hee). If you don’t have a kitchen scale you really SHOULD! (Check out this one.) It’s a kitchen tool I wouldn’t be without (ranks up there with my Microplane - y’all know how much cheese I grate LOL). I know, I know, I’m an eyeball kinda girl with most of my cooking but for converting & baking it’s MANDATORY & therefore a necessary tool to have!

For your cooking pleasure, I have roughly estimated the conversions in this recipe for you & have provided a link for more accurate if you’re a more accurate kinda person. I hope that helps!

What you’ll need:
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
50g or roughly 1/2 stick of of Unsalted Butter
250g or roughly 1 cup of Crushed Italian Tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of Sparkling Wine
approx 1 cup chicken broth
flour - for dredging
s/p

Here’s a great link for conversions : http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/conversions.htm

What to do:
Wash & dry the pieces of chicken well. Dredge pieces of chicken in flour, set aside. Place butter into a LARGE pan with deep sides (ie: chicken fryer) over medium - high heat. When butter is melted, add chicken pieces & brown on all sides. When chicken is browned, pour the champagne over chicken & allow to reduce. Season with salt & pepper & add the bay leaf & the crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat to low & allow to simmer for approx 1 hour. Turning chicken only when necessary & adding chicken broth when liquid levels are low.

When chicken has finished cooking, transfer chicken to a plate & keep warm. Add the whipping cream to the sauce. Cover pan & increase heat to medium. Allow sauce to thicken for about 10 mins. Pass sauce through a sieve, return to pan & heat through. Place chicken on serving tray & then pour sauce over. Serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

If you liked this, you might like:
Pollo alla Crema {Chicken w/Cream}, Pollo al Rhum {Chicken w/Rum}

In case you can’t get enough of bell’alimento…you can also find us on TWITTER & FACEBOOK too! Stop by & say “Ciao”!