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Peasant Style Chicken or Pollo alla Contadina

I use Portugese Linguica sausage and the flavor combination is outstanding. The main instructions here are for the slow-cooker or crockpot. You could easily do this on the stovetop with some minor modifications to enhance flavor and texture. See those noted below.

What you need

  1. 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  2. 1 small-medium red bell pepper, cut into quarters, seeded and thinly sliced
  3. 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  4. Leaves from 1 sprig fresh rosemary (4 inches), minced
  5. Leaves from 1 sprig fresh oregano (4 inches)
  6. 1 lb. Portugese Linguica sausage (you can use Italian or other sausage)
  7. 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (slow cooker) or 4 each skin-on, bone-in legs and thighs
  8. 1/2 teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt
  9. Freshly ground black pepper
  10. 1/2 cup white wine
  11. water for stovetop/oven method

How to make it

  1. »«Slow cooker method: use skinless, boneless chicken pieces»«
  2. In slow cooker, combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, rosemary and oregano.
  3. Cut sausage into serving size pieces and place over vegetables
  4. Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces and place in a single layer over the top of the sausages.
  5. Sprinkle salt and pepper over top
  6. Splash in the wine
  7. Cook on low for 7 hours until the chicken is falling-apart tender
  8. Remove sauce from slow cooker to a saucepan, leaving slow cooker on warm or low to keep meat warm
  9. Heat sauce to boiling and reduce slightly
  10. Mix cornstarch and cold water
  11. Remove sauce from heat and whisk in cornstarch mixture
  12. Return sauce to heat and cook until desired consistency (you can reduce the heat at this point)
  13. Serve chicken and sausages with sauce on the side or over the top
  14. »«Stove top or oven method: Use skin-on, bone-in chicken.»«
  15. Cut linguica into 6-8 pieces and split down the center.
  16. Heat 2-3 tablespoons oil or other fat in a dutch oven over medium heat.
  17. Brown linquica pieces, remove and set aside then brown chicken pieces on all sides.
  18. Remove chicken and set aside
  19. Add onion and bell pepper with kosher salt to the pot to sauté in the residual oil - you can reduce heat to medium low if it seems to be cooking too fast
  20. Add herbs and black pepper
  21. Pull and discard skin from chicken pieces
  22. Add wine to pot and reduce heat to low
  23. Return linguica and chicken pieces
  24. Add enough water to come just about halfway up the side of the chicken/sausage
  25. Cover pot and cook on low heat until chicken is very tender
  26. For oven, transfer covered pot to a 300º oven for 1 hour or until chicken is very tender
  27. Remove meat to a serving dish and cover with foil
  28. Reduce pan sauce slightly and taste to adjust seasoning - it may need additional salt
  29. Serve meat with sauce on the side or combine and serve over rice

You could thicken the sauce with some cornstarch or arrowroot powder

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