chicken with pancetta, swiss chard and pine nuts

pollo alla pancetta, erbette e pinoli

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour, 15 minutes

MAKES: 4 servings

Boneless chicken thighs are as easy to work with as chicken breast but have a deeper flavor and pose less risk of overcooking.

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Ingredients

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Freshly ground black pepper
½ pound sliced pancetta
1 orange
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1⅓ pounds Swiss chard, roughly chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons pine nuts

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°. Season chicken with pepper and wrap with pancetta. Place in a baking dish. Bake until browned, about 20 minutes.

While chicken is baking, cut a 1-inch wide strip of peel from the orange, avoiding the pith, and thinly slice. Set sliced peel aside. Squeeze juice from orange.

Remove chicken from oven. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chard and orange peel; cook, stirring, until chard is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Transfer chicken to skillet with chard; add orange juice and pine nuts, bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.

June 2008

keywords:

main course, chicken thigh, pancetta, swiss chard, pine nuts

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average of 15 ratings

Comments [7] | Add your comment

We are not at all surprised that this is a "readers' favorite;" it certainly is one of our "go to" dishes for guests.

Posted: February 28, 2013 15:26 by mahnke
Looks to be a little dry, needs to be deglazed with some Pinot Griglio and chicken broth.
Posted: August 27, 2012 21:15 by decrosta64
I keep chicken thighs on hand. An easy prep. Attractive with the orange peel and pine nuts. The pancetta added an additional layer of flavor. Very nice.

Posted: January 01, 2012 21:26 by blacksheep
Delicious recipe, though we add a bit more chard and pine nuts. Especially useful for company because it can be prepared in advance up until the last simmer. We did didn't find it tedious at all. In fact, it is simple and leaves minimal clean up. We serve with rice.

Posted: December 31, 2011 22:13 by mahnke
a little tedius to make, but great flavor.
Posted: August 20, 2009 15:59 by r54372
For a first time this looks like a great recipe. Thanks
Posted: May 23, 2009 17:26 by geno23
This is excellent. I made the mistake of leaving the skin on the chicken the first time. Skinless the next time was a huge success with my family.
Posted: July 24, 2008 21:48 by drblues