Arrabbiata literally translates to “angry” in Italian. Don’t worry — the goal of this angry chicken is to make you just the opposite. Sugo all’arrabbiata is traditionally a simple, spicy tomato sauce that gets its heat and flavor from spicy chile peppers: dried, fresh or both. This recipe uses both crushed red pepper and chopped Calabrian chiles or hot cherry peppers — along with olive oil, shallot, tomatoes and garlic — to make sauce for crispy chicken thighs to lay in as they are roasted to perfection. Additional hot peppers or fresh tomatoes are more than welcome. While there’s plenty of sauce to serve traditionally over pasta, this arrabbiata is happiest over creamy polenta.

Chicken all’Arrabbiata

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium shallot minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped jarred Calabrian chiles or hot cherry peppers
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed or diced tomatoes
Polenta, for serving
• Fresh parsley, for serving

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.

On a plate, pat chicken thighs with a paper towel until the skin is dry, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper all over. Set an ovenproof skillet or pan over medium heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add chicken thighs skin-side down and cook, untouched, for 9 minutes. When the skin is crisped and releases from the pan, return thighs to the same plate and set aside. (The chicken will not be cooked through at this point.)

Add shallot, garlic, crushed red pepper, chopped chiles and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook until the shallot is softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, stirring until the paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juices and a big pinch each of salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits, for about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Tuck the chicken thighs into the pan, skin-side up, ensuring they are covered in tomato sauce. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning and spice level as necessary. Serve warm, over polenta, and garnish with fresh parsley.

Total time: 45 minutes, serves 4.

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