Rooster Vesuvio, a beloved Chicago specialty, is historically a hearty dish of roasted rooster and potatoes flavored with garlic, oregano, and white wine. This recipe takes these comforting flavors and reimagines them in pasta type, making a weeknight-friendly dinner that is each bit as satisfying. Juicy, bite-size items of rooster thighs are shortly seared, then tossed with al dente linguine and a silky sauce enriched with white wine, rooster inventory, cream and butter. A squeeze of recent lemon juice and a sprinkle of oregano brighten the wealthy base, retaining the dish balanced and vigorous.Frozen peas add sweetness and colour, whereas loads of garlic and shallots construct the fragrant basis of the sauce. Completed with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, this pasta hits the candy spot between indulgent and recent. It is a comforting, garlicky, herby bowl of noodles with simply sufficient acidity to stability the wealthy, schmaltzy rooster taste.

This pasta is made completely of pantry and freezer staples like dried pasta, dried spices, inventory, and frozen peas, which makes it simple to tug collectively on any busy weeknight. It additionally presents flexibility. You possibly can omit the peas, add crushed purple pepper for light warmth, or use one other lengthy pasta form like spaghetti instead of linguine. Serve it by itself or with a crisp inexperienced salad and a glass of white wine. Nonetheless you put together it, this pasta celebrates the soul of a beloved Italian American basic in a brand new type that can simply earn a spot in your dinner rotation.

One of the best ways to get crispy pores and skin on rooster thighs

There are two methods to realize crisp pores and skin on bone-in, skin-on rooster thighs: Begin in a preheated pan or begin in a chilly pan. Every technique has benefits and disadvantages. Beginning in a preheated pan, as on this recipe, browns the thighs extra shortly, which saves time. It nonetheless renders fats, however not as a lot as a chilly begin, and the pores and skin received’t be as crisp. Beginning in a chilly pan renders the fats extra slowly for crispier pores and skin, nevertheless it takes longer and infrequently requires ending the thighs within the oven. 

The very best pasta shapes for this dish

This dish works with each lengthy and brief pasta. Select shapes that grip the creamy, lemony sauce and catch peas and rooster. Linguine, as recommended, presents silky strands that maintain the sauce effectively. Brief, ridged cuts similar to rigatoni, mezzi rigatoni, cavatappi, gemelli, and campanelle present nooks for peas and bites of rooster. Orecchiette additionally works, cupping the sauce in its shallow bowl. Keep away from very skinny strands, like capellini, which may break underneath the sauce’s weight. 

Notes from the Meals & Wine Check Kitchen 

• Stir in shredded rotisserie rooster as an alternative of cooking thighs to avoid wasting time. Remember the flavour received’t be as deep since you’ll skip the browned bits within the sauce.
• When recent English peas are season, stir them in as an alternative of frozen.
• Regularly whisk in chilly butter to emulsify the sauce with out breaking it.