Chicken Vesuvio

About

Chicken Vesuvio can be found throughout restaurants in the city of Chicago, U.S.A. as well as some other Italian-American restaurants across the country’s Midwest. This is a delicious stewed or casserole dish that will warm you up from the inside out and provide that comfort-food feel. Imagine sitting in an extra-wide booth at a family-style table in a dimly lit restaurant, bar glasses clinking, and a mix of Italian, Polish, and Chicago accents floating across the air. Chicken thighs with bones and all are stewed in a seasoned broth until the meat falls apart. For nutrition, Keto cauliflower and soybeans are added to the stew. They also soak up all the savory flavors of the dish. Serve your portions hot as is or with your favorite Keto toppings. If you want to take part in the Chicago way of doing things, topping suggestions include a sprinkle of crushed red pepper, plenty of chopped parsley, or a spoonful of grated parmesan.

Vesuvio History

The first person to make Chicken Vesuvio is unknown. However, one might infer there’s a strong Italian influence in the dish. Some have guessed that an old Chicago restaurant with the same namesake may be the one to credit, but the recipe truly belongs to the whole city. Traditional Chicken Vesuvio is made with chicken on the bone, white wine, golden potatoes, and often peas. Sometimes, just Potato Vesuvio can be found on restaurant menus and dinner tables at home.

Is Fresh Or Frozen Best?

With Keto substitutions of cauliflower and edamame, you might feel tempted to grab frozen bags to save you time in the kitchen. Good news: you can use frozen ingredients in this Keto stew recipe and still have a delicious dish. Make sure your frozen cauliflower florets are fully thawed before cooking them. You can add frozen, shelled edamame directly from the bag in the final step of the recipe; you may just need to allow additional reduction time.

Ingredients

1 lb chicken broilers or fryers thigh meat and skin raw
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive or extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon butter, unsalted
8 oz cauliflower, raw
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
¼ teaspoon thyme, dried
¼ tsp, chopped garlic
½ teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
4 oz edamame
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

Instructions

Leave chicken thighs intact with their skin and bones, and season them just over the tops with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan or another pan suitable for stewing foods over high heat. When the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs in with the skin facing down. Fry the chicken on one side (use a splatter screen if necessary) until the skin just turns golden brown. Flip the chicken over and brown on the other side, reducing the heat if necessary to avoid burning the oil.
Transfer the browned chicken to a plate to leave aside for later in the recipe. Leave the pan on the stove and reduce your heat to low. Melt the butter in the pan and deglaze any cooked spices stuck to the bottom. Then, add cauliflower florets in a variety of chunky sizes to the hot butter. Season the whole pan with oregano, thyme, and minced garlic. Stir and cook the cauliflower until it fries to light golden in the butter, turning up your heat as needed.
Once the cauliflower is browned, pour white wine vinegar into the pan followed by the chicken broth. Cover the pan with a lid and bring the broth to a full simmer. Once it’s simmering, return the whole chicken thighs to the pan, nestling them in the broth. Leave the lid on the pan, and allow the chicken and cauliflower to stew together over low heat until the chicken can easily pull off the bones with a fork. If you turn your heat too high, you’ll overcook the cauliflower and it may turn mushy. This can take up to 30 minutes or longer.
Once the chicken is tender enough, pull it apart into chunky pieces. You may choose to leave the bones to continue stewing in the pan and then discard at the end of cooking, or you may discard them now. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and stir shelled edamame and the final amount of butter into the pan. Once the butter is melted, leave the pan uncovered and bubbling until a light sauce thickens in the bottom of the pan. You may see a small amount of caramelization in the pan too. Serve hot.