Pollo Contadino is an outstanding casserole of Italian comfort food. I’ve made this dish several times over many years. Each time I lift a forkful to my mouth, I wonder why I don’t make it more often. Such an arousing smell of tender, juicy chicken thighs roasted with onions, carrots, sweet red bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, capers, and rosemary served with its juices over a fluffy bed of hot rice.
Yep, Pollo Contadino is a perfect meal for cozy cold weather days. You know those rainy cold days that make you want to curl up under a blanket to get all snuggly and warm? And if you want to smell the casserole cooking all day, put the ingredients in a crockpot and let it simmer until you can’t stand it anymore.
This recipe was published in “The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian” in 1993. I bought Jeff Smith’s cookbook a few weeks ago just for this recipe. ($6 used from Amazon). Money well spent. I can’t wait to sift through the pages for other Italian treats.
Here’s how it works
Pollo Contadino takes a little time to put together but is well worth the effort. I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs because we like dark meat and skin helps to keep the meat moist. Drumsticks would be a good substitute. But it can also be made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts if that’s what you prefer. There’s no hard and fast rule.
Don’t leave out any of the vegetables. They all play well together. And be sure to add the capers that add a nice vinegary taste and smell to the finished dish. I can’t imagine the casserole without capers!
The last time I made Pollo Contadino, I didn’t have rosemary in my spice pantry. So, I used a few shakes of pasta sprinkle which is a combination of rosemary, basil, parsley. It worked just fine!
Let’s make some, shall we?
Pollo Contadino, Italian Roasted Chicken Farmer Style
Tender and juicy chicken roasted with onions, carrots, tomatoes, and capers served over a bed of hot fluffy rice. Cibo di comodità - true Italian comfort food.
Author: The Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
4 large chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in 1-1/2 pounds OR 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned OR use 1 cup of julienned carrots from the store
1 - 2 large sweet red bell peppers, julienned
1 large yellow onion, peeled and julienned
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
6 large baby portobello mushrooms, cut into thick slices OR 1-8oz package of sliced mushrooms from the store
1-2 teaspoons capers
6 ripe plum tomatoes, diced, OR 1-15oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary OR 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ cup dry white wine
Instructions
Heat oven to 400F degrees.
Remove chicken pieces to paper towels and pat dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Put flour in a medium-sized bowl. Dredge the chicken pieces one-at-a-time, shake off any excess flour and place in the oil in the skillet.
Brown the chicken on all sides. Remove to a 2-3 quart roasting pan, like Pyrex, a cast iron skillet, or an enameled cast iron pan or pot
Drain off the oil in the frying pan. Return to the stove. Add the remaining ¼ cup olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add the carrots and sautee for 3 minutes.
Add the red pepper and onion. Sautee until the onions are barely translucent.
Add the garlic, stir. Sautee just until you can smell garlic. Be sure not to let it burn.
Place the vegetables over the chicken in the roasting pan.
Return the frying pan to the stove. Over medium-high heat, add the mushrooms, capers and tomatoes, rosemary and wine. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 5 minutes. Pour over the chicken and vegetables in the roasting pan.
Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove the foil and return to oven for 15 minutes.
Serve over fluffy hot cooked rice or spaghetti.
Notes
Pollo Contadino is a comfort food best served on colder days. You can also put ingredients, in order on the recipe, in a crockpot on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2-3 hours. You can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or drumsticks or any combination of chicken pieces.
Jeff Smith included 12 medium black Italian or Greek olives, and one green pepper and one red pepper to compliment the colors of the Italian flag. I changed it up just a wee bit.
3.5.3251
Here’s an image to PIN!
Copyright, At Mimi’s Table 2013-2018, All Rights Reserved
OMG – I simply LOVE dishes like this one. Steamy and hardy, tender chunks of beef are stewed with slices of red bell pepper, tomatoes, onions and garlic served over a heaping helping of cheese grits – my mouth is watering.
What is it about corn, like these cheese grits, and tomatoes? EGADS, what a perfect pairing, perfect comfort food for a cold winter evening supper.
I used a leftover chuck roast that I shred into big chunks. Any meat that becomes tender as it’s cooked would work. And, the chuck roast can be cooked in a slow-cooker, to make things even easier.
There’s a little prep work, but the final result is well worth the effort.
I’ve rarely eaten grits. It’s one dish neither side of my family or my husband’s family prepared. Richard was undecided, too, as he had grits in the south, but thought they lacked flavor. Once, I had a spectacular grits, ham, and cheese casserole at The Kitner Housein Corydon, Indiana. I have their recipe, but never tried it. (What was I thinking??) My inspiration for the cheese grits in this recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. Be forewarned: this makes a lot of grits, like 12 servings. Feel free to half it. I left out the bacon, subbed half-and-half for the heavy cream, and used sharp white cheddar cheese in place of Monterey Jack, because that’s what I had in the fridge, and regular grits rather than instant, because that’s what Pioneer Woman instructed.
Here's a basic recipe for cheese grits. Feel free to add additional ingredients, if you're in the mood, like diced ham, crumbled bacon, diced jalapeno peppers. This is plain old fashioned comfort food.
Author: Slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings or other cooking oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups stone ground grits, not instant
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups half-and-half
1-1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Dash of cayenne pepper or Tobasco
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a heavy pot over medium-high heat, add drippings or oil. Add onions and cook until the onions are golden brown.
Add grits, chicken broth, and water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover pot, and cook 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally and making sure the liquid level is okay. If grits begin to get dry, add a little more warm broth.
After 30-40 minutes of cooking time, pour in half-and-half. Cover pot and continue to simmer on very low heat for another 30 minutes, or until grits are done. Taste and add salt, pepper and cayenne or Tobasco to taste.
Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese. Keep warm and serve.
Notes
This recipe is a slightly modified version of one from The Pioneer Woman.
3.5.3226
The grits were spectacular. My husband loved them. We lamented this was only our first try and vowed to consider grits as a future full bodied side. So impressed, I made a grits and collard greens casserole from Trish Yearwood at Thanksgiving. That’s how impressed I was.
If you decide to use a fresh chuck roast in a slow-cooker instead of leftover, you should season with salt and pepper, and brown the roast on both sides in a hot skillet first. Browning intensifies the beefy flavor, which is essential for a flavorful gravy.
If leftover chuck roast is what you have to use, shred the beef into big chunks, and follow instructions to make the beefy/vegetable gravy.
Not a grits fan? Spoon the tasty concoction over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice. Fantastic!
Chuck Roast with Peppers, Tomatoes and Cheese Grits
Simmered in tomatoes with sliced red peppers in a slow cooker or on top of the stove using left over chuck; the finished product is served over cheese grits.
Author: At Mimi's Table
Recipe type: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Serves: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
1 3-4 pound chuck roast or leftover chuck roast cut into large chunks
1 large onion, halved and cut into slices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cups of low sodium beef broth
1 Tablespoon soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
*If using a fresh chuck roast, salt and pepper both sides. In a hot skillet, brown roast on both sides. Place browned roast into a slow-cooker.
*If using leftover chuck roast, shred meat into large chunks. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add one Tablespoon olive oil.
*If browning fresh roast, add olive oil to skillet.
Add onion and brown until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add red pepper strips and saute with the onions and garlic for 1 minute.
Add the canned tomatoes. Stir to distribute.
Add beef broth, soy sauce or Worcestershire and stir.
*If using a slow-cooker, pour hot mixture over the roast. Cover, and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. 45 minutes before serving, remove roast and cover to keep warm. Make a slurry using 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons water. Add slurry to liquid in slow-cooker. Return the meat and any juices that accumulated. Cover and continue cooking to allow the gravy to thicken a bit. At the end of cooking, remove the roast, shred meat into large chunks, and return to the slow-cooker. Mix everything together, and ladle a serving over a helping of cheesy grits, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.
*If using leftover meat, bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Gently simmer to reduce liquid for 10-15 minutes. Add the meat chunks. Continue to cook over medium heat until everything is up to temperature and ready to serve. Ladle a serving over cheesy grits, mashed potatoes, egg noodles or rice.
Notes
Feel free to substitute fresh tomatoes for canned. Once I used a small package of cherry tomatoes.
Last week Richard asked me if I wanted to invite his boss for a Saturday dinner. Harold, my husband’s 88-year old friend, was on his own for a few days while his wife went out of town for a granddaughter’s high school graduation. As much as I love to cook and to eat, I get a little nervous when we have guests for whom I’ve never cooked. When you cook often for people, you get to know their likes and dislikes, if you can get away with a casserole, what allergies they have, etc. But I couldn’t refuse an opportunity to host a dinner for Harold, despite my fears. And because I’ve had my eye on these beautiful pork tenderloins in the meat counter for months, I decided the dish would be quick, tender, and succulent – really, a great meal for a special friend, cooked with apples, onions, garlic and rosemary. I mean, who doesn’t like pork – right? So off to the market I went, very happy to have an excuse to pick up a couple of tenderloins, the filet of pork. i was confident I’d scored a hit when he reached for his third piece of meat and topped it off with more onion sauce. We even had enough to send him home with some leftovers, and enough for Richard and I to gnaw on for a late night snack. Hooray!!
Let’s cook! 
