Chicken Baked in a Crust of Taggiasca Olives and Fresh Herbs

La storia di questo piatto

Taggiasca olives belong to the Ligurian coast, where silvery groves lean toward the sea, and here they meet rosemary, thyme and lemon in a golden crust over tender chicken breast. It is a modern home-kitchen dish, not an ancient recipe, but its flavours are pure Mediterranean.

Ingredienti

• 4 pieces Chicken breasts
• 250 g Pitted Taggiasca olives
• 15 g Fresh rosemary
• 5 g Fresh thyme
• 2 pieces Lemon
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil (60 ml in the blend, 15 ml in the dish, 15 ml raw)
• 3 g Sea salt
• 1.5 g Freshly ground black pepper
• 50 g Wholemeal breadcrumbs

Preparazione

1. Remove any membranes from the chicken breasts and pat them thoroughly dry with kitchen paper: they must be completely dry, otherwise the crust will not turn crispy. Season both sides with the salt (3 g in total) and the pepper (1.5 g). Do not salt the olive mixture, as it is already savoury. Preheat the conventional oven to 200°C.
2. In the food processor combine the Taggiasca olives, the rosemary and thyme (stripped from their stems), the peeled garlic, the grated zest of 1 lemon and 60 ml of extra virgin olive oil. Pulse until you obtain a thick, coarse, well-blended mixture, not a purée. Add the juice of 1 lemon last and give one final pulse, so the herbs do not darken. If preparing in advance, keep the juice aside and add it only at the end.
3. Spread the olive mixture evenly over the surface of each breast in a generous layer. Sprinkle with the wholemeal breadcrumbs and press lightly with the palm of your hand so they adhere well.
4. Arrange the breasts well spaced apart in an ovenproof dish lined with baking paper and drizzle with 15 ml of oil, without overdoing it so as not to weigh down the crust. Bake on the middle shelf at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. After 15 minutes cover with a sheet of foil to prevent the olives from burning and turning bitter. Remove from the oven when a meat thermometer inserted in the centre reads 72°C: during resting it will rise to 74-75°C.
5. Take the breasts out of the oven and let them rest for 3 minutes in the dish, so the juices redistribute and the meat stays juicy. Transfer to plates, finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil raw (15 ml in total) and serve with the second lemon cut into wedges.