When I came home this evening, the house smelled amazing! Jon had whipped up this recipe and we devoured it for dinner. Oh my goodness… the flavors are delectable. Of course, I LOVE olives, I mean LOVE them. I put them in almost everything, so this recipe was sure to please me. Add the pancetta and it’s a dish made in heaven. The salty cure meat balanced with the mild black olives and complemented the chicken so well, I simply couldn’t stop eating. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 organic chickens (about 3 1/2 pounds each), backbones cut out and each chicken cut into 12 pieces
• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic chipotle rub
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices pancetta, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 can black olives

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Place pieces from 1 chicken in a 1 gallon bag, cover with half the oil and spices, rubbing mixture into chicken. Remove from bag, place pieces from the remaining chicken in the bag and cover with remaining oil and spice, rubbing mixture into chicken.

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.

Plate the chicken and spoon the olive and pancetta mixture over the top.