I love a good Neapolitan Pizza Margherita. I mean who doesn’t? So I absolutely adore this recipe, which borrows the tomato, fresh basil, and gooey mozzarella from the pizza to adorn crispy skinned, tender chicken. The tomato sauce is so delicious sopped up with some fresh, crusty bread, and, paired with a nice green salad, it’s one of my favorite dinners. Plus the kids love it!

Some tips for executing this recipe. Number one: make sure to use a large, oven-safe skillet for the entire process. I recommend using an enameled cast iron skillet, but regular cast iron or an oven safe nonstick pan will work too.

The key to this recipe is to build tons of flavor by layering ingredients in the same pan. First you sear the chicken to accomplish the crispy golden skin and render some of the flavor. Then you saute the garlic, anchovies, chili flakes, and capers in the same pan before adding the tomatoes and herbs. The result is a deeply flavorful red sauce that only takes minutes to develop. This of course is a huge win time wise for all of us busy cooks!

And it doesn’t end there! Adding the chicken back into the pan and baking it in that beautiful tomato sauce results in perfectly tender, juicy chicken, and an even more awesome sauce! The quick broil at the end to melt the cheese just seals the deal. There’s nothing more comforting!

Do be mindful not to burn the cheese (or the sauce) in the final broil. It literally takes only a few minutes to melt the cheese, and only a minute after that to burn the sauce. Watch it carefully to take the pan out right at the perfect moment.

Chicken Margherita - Serves 5-6

Equipment:

• 11 or 12 in. oven safe, deep skillet

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken (3.5-4.5lbs.), broken into 8 pieces

• 2 TBS. olive oil

• 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

• Freshly ground pepper

• 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

• 4 oil packed anchovy fillets, minced

• 1 TBS. capers, drained and chopped

• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 vine ripe tomatoes, diced

• 1/2 tsp. dried basil

• 4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

• Fresh basil for garnish

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

2. Dry the chicken thoroughly, and season it all over with 1 1/2 tsp. salt and several generous grinds of pepper.

3. Add the olive oil to the skillet, and set it over a medium flame until the oil is hot. Add the chicken skin-side-down, and sear it until the skin is golden and starting to crips, about 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and return the skillet to the flame.

4. Add the capers, anchovies, garlic, and chili flakes to the skillet. Saute for 1-2 minutes, just until the garlic is fragrant and the anchovies begin to dissolve. Then add all of the tomatoes, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 1/2 tsp. dried basil, and several grinds of pepper. Stir the sauce and then bring it to a simmer before lowering the heat to medium-low. Allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes.

5. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back to the skillet, skin side up. Try not to overlap chicken pieces. Bake the chicken and sauce in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165ºF.

6. Once the chicken is done, remove the skillet from the oven and turn on the broiler. Top the chicken with the mozzarella, and return the pan to the oven. Broil for 1-5 minutes, watching carefully to avoid burning the sauce or the cheese. Remove the chicken as soon as the cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with fresh basil, and serve immediately with crusty bread to soak up the tomato sauce.

Recipe adapted from Dinner: Changing the Game