Ben Lippett takes inspiration from a classic Neapolitan cooking style for a cozy weeknight meal.
“To cook something in the style of pizzaiola is to cook it in the style of a pizza maker. You’ll see different meats, fish or vegetables braised in what you might describe as ‘pizza sauce,’ a simple tomato sauce with garlic, oregano and olive oil. You can cook anything in this style really,” says the chef, who includes a version of the dish in his debut book, How I Cook.
“It’s braised so the flavors should be rich, soft and developed, and the chicken should be luxurious and pull apart,” Lippett describes, adding that it is made with mostly pantry staples. “It’s very simple to put together and—as lots of the ingredients are evergreen, like tinned tomatoes, spices, garlic—it works across the year.”
“I like to make more than I need because the leftovers are great,” says Lippett. “Pull the chicken off the bone, and toss it with spaghetti and this sauce the next day.”
Ben Lippett’s Braised Chicken Pizzaiola
2 ½ cups water
1 cup whole milk
1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
8 (6- to 8-oz.) bone-in chicken thighs, patted dry
1 ½ Tbsp. plus 1 ¾ tsp. fine sea salt, divided
1 tsp. olive oil
2 small red onions, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 long red chile (such as Fresno), thinly sliced (about 2 Tbsp.)
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds
¾ cup (6 oz.) dry white wine
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
10 (6-in.) oregano sprigs, tied into a bunch using kitchen twine
1 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 cup pitted Castelveltrano olives (from 1 [19-oz.] jar)
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese or burrata cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together water, milk, cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Heat over medium, whisking occasionally, until thickened and cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Adjust the texture of your polenta to your liking. If it’s too thick, add a little water or milk; if it’s too thin, keep cooking!
2. Sprinkle chicken all over with 1½ tablespoons of the salt. Drizzle oil in bottom of a large ovenproof skillet. Nestle chicken, skin side down, in skillet in an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, over medium heat until skin is brown and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Flip chicken; cook, undisturbed, until seared, about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving drippings in skillet; set chicken aside. Add onion and ¼ teaspoon of the salt; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, chile and fennel seeds; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium high, and add white wine; cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, pepper and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Remove skillet from heat, and return chicken to skillet. (You want the chicken skin sticking out of the liquid.) Scatter olives over top. Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 165°, about 15 minutes.
4. Increase oven temperature to broil; broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before tearing cheese over top. Serve over polenta.
Serves: 4
Active time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
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