Chicken Ragù
inspired by a classic Sardinian recipe
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Not many pasta sauces, or ragùs, are made with chicken, at least that I know of. So, when I saw this one, I definitely had to try it. This chicken ragù was inspired by the version from Pasta Grannies, and I originally made it to serve with homemade lorighittas, since it’s the traditional sauce for that classic Sardinian pasta shape.
This chicken ragù is a little bit traditional with a touch of Greek inspiration, borrowing flavors from kota kapama — mainly the use of cloves. Cloves in a savory dish are excellent, and this sauce is no exception. Puréed tomatoes are simmered with a clove studded onion, parsley stems and bone-in, skin-on chicken. It’s rich, super flavorful and a little unexpected.
I served the sauce with pasta and kept the stewed chicken on the side to eat on its own, but you could also remove the meat from the bones and shred it back into the sauce. The choice is yours. Ok, onto the recipe below…
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Ingredients
1/2 Chicken bone-in, skin-on, cut into parts
1/4 Onion white or yellow onion
12 Whole Cloves
2 cloves Garlic leave whole
28 oz Tomato Passata or blended whole canned tomatoes
Olive Oil
3/4 C Dry Vermouth or white wine
4 Parsley Stems
Salt
Pecorino Romano grated, to finish
Instructions
Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add in some olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Season the chicken with salt and sear until golden brown on both sides.
Stud your onion with the cloves. Add to the pan along with the garlic cloves and parsley stems.
Pour in the vermouth or white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for a minute or two to cook off the alcohol and reduce a bit.
Pour in the passata (or blended tomatoes). Season with a little more salt and stir to combine. Partially cover and and simmer gently for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened.
To serve, remove chicken and aromatics. Toss sauce with pasta and serve chicken on the side. You can shred the chicken meat and return back to the sauce and serve like that.
Finish with a generous grating of Pecorino Romano.
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