Active Time

　　25 min

　　Total Time

　　1 1/2 hr

　　Oltranti and his family prepare this dish with rabbit, but it's equally appealing with chicken. Roasted with super-savory pancetta and olives, the garlicky meat stays moist in a shallow bath of white wine.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

　　2 chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), backbones cut out and each chicken cut into 12 pieces (see cooks' note, below)

　　1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme

　　1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

　　1 tablespoon fine sea salt

　　1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes

　　10 garlic cloves, peeled

　　2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces

　　1 cup dry white wine

　　24 oil-cured black olives

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

　　

Step 2

Toss chicken with oil, thyme, rosemary, sea salt, red-pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon pepper, rubbing mixture into chicken.

　　

Step 3

Arrange chicken, skin side up, in 1 layer in a 17-by 11-inch 4-sided sheet pan. Scatter garlic and pancetta on top and roast until chicken begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Drizzle wine over chicken and roast 8 minutes more. Scatter olives over chicken and roast until skin is golden brown and chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes.

　　Cooks' note:

　　To cut a chicken into 12 pieces, remove wings and cut each breast half into 3 pieces, then separate drumsticks and thighs. Backbones can be used to make chicken stock.