pulled chicken ragù with saffron & tomatoes
because we're all in need of a little sunshine
Lately I’ve been dreaming of summer, the green and the warmth and the big, beautiful tomatoes. Food that’s a little lighter, the stuff you might munch on while watching boats bob off the coast of the Italian islands, stuff like grease-stained paper cones of fried anchovies and twirls of spaghetti in peppery puddles of olive oil. Of course, we’re not quite in springtime territory, and it has been snowing on and off here in Washington, DC, so I’m not going to totally fall off the winter recipe bandwagon. Instead, I’m offering a transitional dish: a pulled chicken ragù that’s hearty enough for February, but vibrant enough to remind us of sunnier days.
In Italy, chicken is a bit of an anomaly when it comes to pasta. In the early days of writing my cookbook, I developed a chicken-based pasta filling that my family promptly nixed as being “kinda weird”. Most meat-based pastas instead rely on fattier, richer cuts readily bursting with flavor and complexity, things that are just a little bit harder to achieve with lean poultry. The most common pasta-chicken pairing isn’t a sauce at all, but in brodo (broth); still, chicken ragù is not totally unheard of: In Sardinia, it’s actually the most traditional accompaniment to lorighittas, a rare semolina-based pasta that looks like little braided rings. In that iteration, bone-in pieces of chicken (more traditionally, free-range capon called “gallo ruspante”) are simmered with wine, tomatoes, and plenty of fresh herbs. The chicken is then removed and either served alongside the pasta or as a main course thereafter—never mixed into the sauce.
On this side of the Atlantic, chicken is the King of Dinner. It’s relatively inexpensive, quick to prepare, and basically a blank canvas when it comes to flavor. Chicken pasta dishes are, therefore, no rarity, not to mention pasta is the preferred backdrop for Italian American classics like chicken piccata and chicken parmesan. So today I’ve decided to take that American affinity for chicken (and chicken pastas) and give it some traditional Sardinian soul.
My love of Sardinia is no secret, and if I had to choose the three places in Italy I want to visit most, it would undoubtably make the cut. Not only are the island’s fresh pasta varieties some of my favorites (lorighittas included!), but there is such zest and beauty and spirit in its cuisine: Citrus, seafood (anchovies, bottarga), and pecorino are staples of the Sardinian diet, as are olives, tomatoes, and the island’s “red gold”—saffron—which once grew in wild abundance. Such sunny ingredients, many of which you’ll find in this chicken ragù.
The hands-on cooking time for this dish is pretty short, thanks to flavorful boneless chicken thighs. That said, what makes this sauce sing is marinating those chicken thighs overnight, time that allows the flavors to permeate the meat without much effort. So I’d say this one could be dubbed “weeknight-friendly” with a little foresight—reserving 15 minutes for prep the night before will make all the difference. And to make things even easier, although I’ve served mine with homemade pappardelle, you can absolutely use your favorite dried noodles instead. Here’s hoping warmer days are ahead!
Pulled Chicken Ragù with Saffron & Tomatoes
Serves 4 to 6