Garlic Chicken With Giardiniera Sauce

By Ali Slagle

Published Jan. 13, 2023

Garlic Chicken With Giardiniera Sauce
Bobbi Lin for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Eugene Jho.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(301)
Comments
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Traditional Italian green sauces typically include a long list of ingredients: chopped herbs, vinegar or citrus juice, garlic, shallots, capers and anchovies to name a few. But this recipe streamlines the process by mixing fresh green herbs with giardiniera, a condiment of pickled mixed vegetables that contributes the oil, vinegar and punchy flavors. Giardiniera, which is Italian for “gardener,” is a colorful and crunchy mixture typically made with cauliflower, peppers, celery and carrots. It’s commonly found on supermarket shelves with the pickled peppers, and is used on Italian beef and muffuletta sandwiches as well as antipasto plates. While spices, the balance of vinegar to oil, and vegetables vary, any will work here. Eat this combination on its own, with orzo or salad greens, or in a sandwich. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1cup soft herb leaves, coarsely chopped (see Tip)
  • ¾cup mild or hot giardiniera, coarsely chopped if necessary
  • 3tablespoons giardiniera brine
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 2garlic cloves, finely grated
  • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
  • Black pepper
  • 1½ to 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, patted dry
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a medium bowl, stir together the herbs, giardiniera and giardiniera brine. (It might look dry but it gets saucier as it sits.) In a large bowl, stir together the olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. If you’re using chicken breasts, pound to an even ½-inch thickness with a heavy skillet or meat pounder. Add the chicken to the garlic oil and toss until well coated.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Working in batches to avoid crowding, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until golden brown underneath, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, 2 to 5 minutes. (Clean the skillet between batches if burnt bits collect in the skillet.) Transfer to a plate browned-side up, spoon some of the sauce over the chicken, then let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Taste the sauce. If it’s too assertive, add a teaspoon or two of olive oil. If it’s too mild, add salt. Serve the chicken with more sauce passed at the table.

Tip
  • If using parsley, cilantro or dill, thinly slice the stems as well; they’re edible, concentrated bursts of the herbs. Tear any large basil leaves, and slice chives into 1-inch or so lengths.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
301 user ratings
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Comments

sigokb

Recipe calls for giardinaira "brine", but here in Chicagoland, it all comes in oil. So I use olive or pickle brine and the oil form the giardinaira for the olive oil. Turns out great. One day I'll learn how to spell 'giardinaira'.

K. Schrimmer

As a chef/restaurateur in a previous life I had a similar dish to this on my menu. It would be improved by marrying the flavors from the cooked chicken with the sauce. To do this I would a tablespoon of minced shallot and teaspoon of garlic in a bit of residual oil in pan after sauteeing chicken (or wipe out pan and add a tablespoon of fresh oil/butter). Then add a cup of unsalted chicken stock, reduce by half and then add in the giardinara mixture and season to taste.

Martha

I use jarred muffuletta relish which contains giardineira plus capers and olives. The vegetables are already finely chopped and pickled. The result is even better than giardineira alone.

Michelle

Delicious made vegan with soy curls. Simply hydrate them with a tasty veg broth (added more grated garlic, too) and saute them up. Amazing what a jar of giardiniera can do!

Tom

Absolutely loved this. It’s so simple, but it goes so hard. I used hot giardinera because my boyfriend was in Manhattan for business, and he doesn’t love spice quite like me! The sauce is so easy, and i think it would go great on basically any meat. I have some cod filets in the freezer - im going to use the sauce on those tomorrow. I’ll be making this all summer! Similar to another commenter I seared the chicken then deglazed with white wine and added the liquid to the giard sauce. Delish!

Alison S

First time I cooked as written - 4 stars. Second time, I took commenters suggestions. After cooking and removing the chicken, I added a touch of EVOO and 1 minced shallot to the pan, followed by 1 cup of chicken stock, scraping any brown bits. Let it reduce for a minute, then add the giardinera mixture to pan plus 2 tablespoons of capers. Cook for a minute then add chicken back to pan until heated through and sauce is a good consistency. 5 stars.

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