Ruth Reichl’s Chicken Diavolo
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus up to two days' steeping and marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2large jalapeño chiles
- 2serrano chiles
- ¾cup olive oil, plus more for sautéing
- 2tablespoons hot paprika (or equal parts cayenne and sweet paprika)
- Ground black pepper
- 2½lemons
- Salt
- 1small chicken, quartered and backbone removed
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
927 calories; 79 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 45 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 48 grams protein; 835 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the chile oil: Chop jalapeño and serrano chiles and put them in a small saucepan with ¾ cup olive oil. Add hot paprika and grind in a fair amount of black pepper. Steep over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Let sit overnight, or all day.
- Step 2
Strain chile oil into a large bowl. Slice 2 lemons and add them to the bowl. Season with salt. Coat chicken with the oil, put in a zip-top bag and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to a day.
- Step 3
Heat oven to 500. Heat a cast-iron skillet until it’s quite hot (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the chile oil and pat it dry. Sprinkle it with salt and shower it with pepper; you need a lot. Slick the bottom of the pan with olive oil and put the chicken, skin-side down, in the hot skillet. Cook until the skin is crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the chicken skin-side up.
- Step 4
Put the skillet in the oven and roast about 20 minutes, or until a thermometer registers 170 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Sprinkle with juice from half a lemon, shower with more pepper and allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I haven't tried it, but grilling makes a lot of sense to me. I think you would need a skillet or you would end up with (unintentionally) blackened chicken.
The other plus to grilling would be getting more of the smoke into the chicken, as opposed to your kitchen ...
In Step 3 you are cooking the chicken on the stove top and then putting it into the 500 degree oven in Step 4.
I just made this and it was great. I used only chicken thighs--easier than cutting up a whole chicken and tastier. I also didn't bother with steps 1 and 2; I just used Chinese chili oil. I obviously don't know how much difference that made in the overall taste, but it was a great time saver.
This was tasty and moist, but seconding other reviewers that it was not spicy. I doubled the chiles and let them soak in the oil overnight as well. Maybe will choose a lower-effort chicken dish next time.
Excellent recipe but did not turn out that spicy but I liked the crispy skin and tender flavour. I too used thighs instead of a whole bird. More uniform cooking time. Next time, longer marinade, scotch bonnet or other hotter peppers.
Maybe my tastebuds are deadened because I grew up eating Buffalo wings, but I honestly did not taste any heat at all. Not only did I marinate for the required amount of time, but I blended the peppers and added them back in. Nothing. This is however a wonderful way to prepare chicken. Crispy skin and tender meat. Just don't expect any heat of diavolo.
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