My kids love Italian sausage, and when baked alongside a whole cut-up chicken, it infuses it with its wonderful flavor. The chicken is tender and succulent, and the garlic cloves, tossed into the roasting pan still in their skins, become soft and sweet and are perfect for spreading on toasted French bread or stirring into mashed potatoes.
What you'll need
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1 pound sweet chicken Italian sausage, each link cut into thirds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/2 cup chicken broth
How to make it
-
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken (skin side up), garlic and sausage in a roasting pan. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the herbs.
-
Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken, then drizzle the olive oil over everything in the pan. Shake the pan to distribute the oil a bit.
-
Place pan on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for one hour, or until chicken is cooked through.
-
Place chicken, sausage and garlic on a large platter and cover with foil. If desired pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the drippings from the roasting pan, then place pan on a burner over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine or chicken broth and simmer until mixture is reduced by half. Serve alongside the chicken.