Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (2024)

Home Recipes Protein Chicken Recipes Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

By Brandi Schilhab

5

3

Mar 07, 2024, Updated Mar 19, 2024

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This Chicken Vesuviorecipe is truly the best roasted chicken recipe in existence. It’s loaded with crispy, golden, bone-in chicken thighs, tender, perfectly-cooked potato wedges, and bright green peas, all cooked in the most flavorful lemon, garlic, butter, white wine sauce.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (2)

Table of Contents

  • This recipe is…
  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • Chicken Vesuvio Recipe Ingredients
  • Recipe Variations and Modifications
  • How to Make Chicken Vesuvio
  • Recipe Tips
  • How to Serve
  • How to Store and Reheat
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Favorite Chicken Thigh Recipes
  • Chicken Vesuvio Recipe Recipe

This recipe is…

GFGluten FreeDFDairy Free

Picture this: crispy, skin on chicken thighs seared in butter until golden brown, then nestled alongside tender potato wedges, topped with the most delicious garlicky, buttery, white wine and lemon sauce, then baked with more garlic and green peas …YUM!

This classic Italian-American dish hails from Chicago, though exactly when and at which restaurant seems to be up for debate. We’re just glad it made it far enough to don the likes of our kitchen!

If you’re looking for more chicken thigh recipes, we’ve got you. These lemon garlic chicken thighs are marinated in the most delicious, simple blend of garlic, lemon, red pepper flakes, and chives, these peanut butter chicken thighs are so easy and flavorful, and this sheet pan chicken and veggies dinner is just about as easy as a weeknight dinner gets.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • It’s easy – considering the impressive nature of this dish, it’s incredibly easy to pull off. You’ll start by roasting the potato wedges, searing the chicken thighs in butter, making the white wine sauce, and then combine all of the components for one final roast in the oven.
  • It’s impressive – this dish deserves all of the dinner guests and special occasions you can think of! It’s a back-pocket recipe that will serve you well any time you host.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe Ingredients

While the ingredient list may look simple, don’t underestimate the big flavors that each component brings to the table. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (3)
  • Chicken thighs – bone-in, skin-on thighs are essential for this recipe. The skin allows the chicken to get nice and crispy with tons of flavor while also protecting the actual meat from drying out.
  • Potatoes – we used small white potatoes here, but any potato you love will work. Large Yukon gold potatoes (not the teeny tiny ones) or russet potatoes are great choices.
  • White wine – use any white wine you have on hand for this recipe. If you’re worried about cooking with wine, feel free to use chicken broth in its place.
  • Peas – no reason to get fancy here – frozen peas work great!

A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations and Modifications

  • Skip the wine – though it definitely adds a delicious richness to the sauce, if cooking with wine is something you like to steer clear of, feel free to use an equal amount of chicken broth instead (so 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, total).
  • Use boneless, skinless thighs – as mentioned above, the bone-in, skin-on thighs really do take this recipe to the next level. That said, if you already have boneless, skinless thighs on hand, they’ll work too. Because thighs are a fattier cut of chicken, it’s really hard to dry them out, so you should be okay without modifying the recipe at all.

How to Make Chicken Vesuvio

This recipe is incredibly easy to make! See below for the full how-to.

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Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (5)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Toss the potato wedges with olive oil and salt, and spread out on the prepared sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt. Once hot, work in batches to sear the chicken skin side-down for 5 minutes, until golden. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside.

Step 3: Add the rest of the butter (4 tablespoons) and the sliced garlic to the pot. Simmer until the garlic is golden brown (30 seconds to a minute), then add the lemon zest to the pot. Add the white wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced slightly. Add the fresh oregano to the sauce, then pour the sauce into a separate bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Add the potato wedges to the skillet and top with the chicken, skin side up. Top with slices of lemon, and then drizzle half of the sauce over top. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes.

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (8)
Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (9)

Step 5: Pull the dish out of the oven. Sprinkle the frozen peas into the dish, top with sliced garlic, and then add the juice of 2 lemons to the remaining sauce sauce, stir to combine, and pour over the top of the chicken dish.

Step 6: Bake at 375°F for 5 more minutes. Then let cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Tips

If you aren’t a fan of peas, feel free to either swap them with green beans or asparagus, or omit the green veggie component altogether.

How to Serve

Serve the Chicken Vesuvio as a complete meal all on its own, or if you’re looking for a delicious side dish pairing, try a crusty, cheesy garlic bread or simple arugula salad.

How to Store and Reheat

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat your leftovers, simply heat them in a skillet over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes or place in an oven-safe dish and reheat in a 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the flavor of Vesuvio?

Chicken Vesuvio has bold, delicious flavors of garlic, butter, lemon, and white wine. It’s decadent, while also being very, very simple.

What city is famous for its chicken Vesuvio?

From all of the research we’ve found, chicken Vesuvio can be clearly traced to Chicago. The exact restaurant and year are a little bit fuzzier, though.

More Favorite Chicken Thigh Recipes

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken ThighsLemon Garlic Chicken ThighsEasy Peanut Butter Chicken ThighsBaked Curry Chicken Thighs Sheet Pan Dinner

If you tried this Chicken Vesuvio or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

5 — Votes 3 votes

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Servings

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (15)

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This Chicken Vesuviorecipe is truly the best roasted chicken recipe in existence. It's loaded with crispy, golden, bone-in chicken thighs, tender, perfectly-cooked potato wedges, and bright green peas, all cooked in the most flavorful lemon, garlic, butter, white wine sauce.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 2 pounds white or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
  • ½ pound butter (1 stick)
  • 4 cloves garlic, slivered
  • 1 cup white wine
  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 2 cups frozen green peas
  • 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • 3 lemons, zest and juice
  • 2 lemons, thinly sliced into rounds

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Toss the potato wedges with olive oil and salt, and spread out on the prepared sheet pan. Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

  • While the potatoes roast, heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt. Once hot, work in batches to sear the chicken skin side-down for 5 minutes, until golden. Remove the chicken thighs and set aside.

  • Add the rest of the butter (4 tablespoons) and the sliced garlic to the pot. Simmer until the garlic is golden brown (30 seconds to a minute), then add the lemon zest to the pot. Add the white wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced slightly. Add the fresh oregano, stir, and pour the sauce into a separate bowl and set aside.

  • Add the potato wedges to the skillet and top with the chicken, skin side up. Top with slices of lemon, and then drizzle half of the sauce over top. Bake at 375°F for 35 minutes.

  • Pull the dish out of the oven. Sprinkle the frozen peas into the dish, top with sliced garlic, and then add the juice of 2 lemons to the remaining sauce sauce, stir to combine, and pour over the top of the chicken dish.

  • Bake at 375°F for 5 more minutes. Then let cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

  • Skip the wine – though it definitely adds a delicious richness to the sauce, if cooking with wine is something you like to steer clear of, feel free to use an equal amount of chicken broth instead (so 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth, total).
  • Use boneless, skinless thighs – as mentioned above, the bone-in, skin-on thighs really do take this recipe to the next level. That said, if you already have boneless, skinless thighs on hand, they’ll work too. Because thighs are a fattier cut of chicken, it’s really hard to dry them out, so you should be okay without modifying the recipe at all.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 Servings

Keyword: chicken vesuvio

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About the Author

Brandi Schilhab

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3 Comments

  1. Hi! A couple questions.

    Do I split the oregano or do I use double, once for potatoes once for sauce?

    Do I take the garlic out of the sauce to then add back on the chicken near the end?

    Is it 2 lemons juiced or 3?

    Regardless, I made my best guesses and have this in the oven right now. It smells delicious! Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for all your recipes!

    Reply

    1. Ditto the questions previously asked! Thanks!

  2. this dish is supposed to be quite spicy with the addition of crushed red pepper

    Reply

Chicken Vesuvio Recipe - Fed & Fit (2024)

FAQs

What is chicken Vesuvio made of? ›

Chicken Vesuvio is a one-pan dish made with golden and crisp bone-in chicken pieces, roasted with garlic, onion, and potatoes, served with a lovely pan sauce and peas. Named after the volcano Mt. Vesuvio near Naples in Italy, it has become a signature Chicago dish that you'll absolutely love!

What is Vesuvio sauce made of? ›

Vesuvio sauce typically includes tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, basil, oregano, and sometimes a hint of red pepper flakes for a touch of heat. The combination of these ingredients creates a rich and flavorful sauce that is perfect for pasta dishes.

What wine goes with chicken Vesuvio? ›

There may be as many wine choices as there are recipes. Red or white or both–all have their proponents. At Harry Caray's Restaurant, where chicken Vesuvio is a signature dish, patrons tend to order whites. “I'd probably recommend a pinot grigio or a sauvignon blanc,” said Jeff Keenan, the restaurant's beverage manager.

What does Vesuvio mean in cooking? ›

No one really knows who invented chicken Vesuvio, a roast chicken and potato dish in white wine sauce named after Mount Vesuvius, the volcano in Campania, Italy.

What does chicken mean in Italy? ›

The word for 'chicken' is 'il pollo. ' If you mean a hen, which is a chicken who lays eggs, the word is 'la gallina.

Who created chicken Vesuvio? ›

There is no uniform agreement on the origins of Chicken Vesuvio. The Chicago Food Encyclopedia says it may have first appeared on a menu in the 1930s at a Loop restaurant called Vesuvio (though it couches the claim with “Chicken Vesuvio is so simple it seems likely to have been served elsewhere before…”).

What is Peruvian chicken made of? ›

The basics are simple: Butterflied chicken with a vinegar and spice rub gets slow-cooked on the grill, then quickly cooked directly over the coals to crisp the skin. It comes out tender and juicy, and goes perfectly with a simple spicy and creamy sauce made with jalapeños and ají amarillo peppers.

How many calories are in a chicken Vesuvio? ›

Chicken Vesuvio
Nutrition Facts
For a Serving Size of 1 Plate (343.31g)
How many calories are in Chicken Vesuvio? Amount of calories in Chicken Vesuvio: Calories 463Calories from Fat 235.8 (50.9%)
% Daily Value *
How much fat is in Chicken Vesuvio? Amount of fat in Chicken Vesuvio: Total Fat 26.2g-
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