Agrodolce Chicken (Traditiional Sicilian Sweet and Sour Chicken)
Agrodolce Chicken is a classic Sicilian sweet and sour chicken recipe featuring tender chicken, onions, vinegar, and sugar. The simple agrodolce sauce creates the perfect balance of savory, tangy, and sweet flavors.
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Ingredients
- 10 Chicken thighs bone in, skinless
- 3/4 cup Breadcrumbs seasoned
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese grated
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 1/2 cup Olive oil plus more for frying the chicken
- 2 Onions, Yellow or Sweet thinly sliced
- 5 oz. White Vinegar
- 5 tbsp. Sugar
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 375°.
- In a shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, salt and pepper.
- Brush the chicken thighs with olive oil on all sides and working with one thigh at a time, place it in the bread crumbs making sure to coat it well. Turn it over and coat the other side, pushing it down into the bread crumbs to make sure it is completely coated.
- Heat the remaining oil in a skillet until it is glistening. Carefully place 3-4 thighs in the hot oil making sure not to crowd them in the pan. Cook the chicken about 3-4 minutes per side, until they are golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish. Continue to cook the remaining chicken thighs. You may need to add some additional oil to your skillet between batches. When all of the chicken has been browned, set the baking dish aside
- Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Add 2-3 more tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet and heat.
- Add the sliced onion to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sugar and stir into the onion with a wooden spoon.
- Add the vinegar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the onion is starting to get tender.
- Pour the onion mixture evenly over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining bread crumbs.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. The juices in the chicken should run clear and the internal temperature should be 165°.
Notes
- Use skinless chicken. There are 3 reasons for this.
- This recipe uses a lot of olive oil and the chicken will give off quite a bit of fat as well. The skin will only add to the fat and it really does not add any flavor.
- You also want all of the flavors from the breading and the agrodolce sauce directly on the meat so that it soaks it in as it cooks.
- I find that the way we bake the chicken in this recipe will not produce a crispy skin, so you may be disappointed in the texture.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before brushing with olive oil or the oil will not adhere to the chicken and the breading won't stick properly.
- Taste the sauce before you pour it over the chicken. Add more vinegar or sugar to your taste. I recommend starting with very small amounts and building up so you don't over power the sauce.
- If you have leftover breadcrumb mixture, you can sprinkle a couple of tbsp. of the mixture over the chicken before you bake it.
- Bake the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Nutrition
Serving: 10servingsCalories: 308kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 23gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 102mgSodium: 444mgPotassium: 302mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 45IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 1mg
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