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Agrodolce Chicken
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
salt and pepper to season chicken
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1
3-pound whole chicken
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1
yellow onion, halved
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1
head garlic, halved
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4
stalks celery
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1
carrot, peeled
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1
bulb fennel with stalks, halved
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1
orange, halved
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1
lemon, halved
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½
bunch each oregano, rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley
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2
bay leaves
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4
cloves
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1 c
white wine
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3-4 tbsp
olive oil
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2 tbsp
whole black peppercorns
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10
allspice berries
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1 tbsp
red chile flakes
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4 c
water
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1 c
white sugar
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½ c
white wine or champagne vinegar
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½ c
honey (orange blossom if possible)
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Agrodolce Chicken

In this recipe from Philadelphia’s Res Ipsa, juicy roasted chicken is drizzled with agrodolce—a vinegary sauce that’s sweetened with orange blossom honey and bolstered with the salty pan drippings from the chicken. Res Ipsa serves theirs with roasted potatoes, broccoli rabe, some long hots, and a citrus salad.

4-5 servings

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
  2. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and allow it to come to room temperature. In the bottom of a roasting pan, assemble a half each of the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, fennel, orange, and lemon. Add half the herb bundle, one bay leaf, two cloves, and white wine.
  3. Cover the chicken with olive oil and place, back side up, in the pan on top of the vegetables. Roast for 45 minutes, then flip breast side up for 15 minutes, until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 155° Fahrenheit (you will finish cooking it in the broiler).
  4. While the chicken is roasting, place remaining vegetables and spices into a pot, covering everything with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add vinegar, sugar, honey, and salt to taste. Simmer on very low heat for the entire time the chicken is roasting.
  5. After the chicken has been removed from the oven and rested for 10 to 15 minutes, drain the juices from the bird and add them to the simmering pot. Stir to combine, then remove all solids with a fine mesh strainer, returning the liquid to the pot. Continue to reduce until the sauce reaches a thick nappe (glassy) consistency.
  6. Break the chicken into breast, thigh, and leg portions and arrange on sheet tray lined with aluminum foil. Place the tray under a low broiler while brushing the chicken with sauce, allowing it to caramelize; remaining sauce can be basted onto the meat or used as a finishing drizzle. Enjoy with roasted potatoes, broccoli rabe, long hots, and a citrus salad.