Simple Italian Flavours Cleverly Combined
This dish combines deliciously bitter radicchio, meaty Sicilian green olives, juicy roasted butterfly/spatchcock chicken, and al dente orecchiette pasta, all brought together with a mouth-watering chicken gravy and finished with grated Parmesan. It’s a hugely comforting and easy dish to prepare – one you’ll want to make again and again.
Why Butterfly / Spatchcock Chicken?
Butterflying chicken – also known as spatchcock chicken – is a cooking technique where the backbone of the chicken is removed, allowing the bird to lie flat, like a butterfly. Spatchcocking chicken reduces cooking time while allowing heat to circulate more evenly through and around the meat. The skin becomes crispier and the chicken remains wonderfully juicy. It also cools more quickly, releasing flavourful fat and juices that form the base of the sauce for this roast chicken with radicchio and green olive orecchiette recipe.
How to Butterfly a Chicken
Want to learn how to spatchcock a chicken? Watch the video below to see how easily it can be done at home in just minutes.
What are Castelvetrano Olives?
Castelvetrano olives are a Sicilian green olive prized for their vibrant green colour. They have a buttery, mildly sweet flavour with a crisp, meaty texture. Unlike many darker, muddier-toned olives, Castelvetranos stand out for their bright, clean green hue.
Recipe: Roast Chicken with Radicchio and Green Olive Orecchiette
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Roast Chicken with Radicchio and Green Olive Orecchiette
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken butterflied (spatchcock)
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 300g orecchiette pasta
- 1 tsp powdered chicken stock
- 150g radicchio
- 170g jar green Castelvetrano olives
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp honey
- Parmesan cheese
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Heat oven to 200°C fan-forced.
- Lay butterflied chicken flat on a roasting tray, drizzle and rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Roast for 50 minutes.
- Allow chicken to cool in the roasting pan for 20 minutes to release its juices.
- Meanwhile, make the pasta: Add powdered chicken stock and some salt to a medium saucepan filled with water. Bring to the boil, add pasta and cook until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, reserving 250 ml of the cooking liquid. Add the garlic powder, chilli flakes, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey to the reserved liquid, then stir to combine.
- Remove the chicken from the tray, which should contain a good amount of rendered fat and juices. Add the pasta water and mix to combine. Place the tray over medium heat on the stovetop and cook until the liquid has thickened slightly.
- Remove the tray from the stovetop, add the pasta, and toss to coat in the chicken sauce. Stir through the radicchio and olives, then finish with a squeeze of lemon. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the orecchiette alongside the roasted chicken, spooning over any leftover chicken sauce, then garnish generously with Parmesan shavings.