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🇮🇹 Dinner · Italy
Roast Chicken Diavola
Pollo alla diavola is a Tuscan and Roman classic: a spatchcocked chicken pressed under a brick over a wood fire, marinated in olive oil, fierce chilli, lemon and rosemary. The name 'of the devil' nods to two things at once — the sting of southern peperoncino on the tongue, and the look of the bird after the smoke and the flames have done their work.
Rich in protein
Filling and nutritious
Traditional recipe
Authentic taste
Ingredients 4 servings
- 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp crushed chilli flakes (peperoncino)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 lemon (juice and zest)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Thyme and rosemary
- Coarse salt, black pepper
How to make it
- 1Spatchcock the chicken if your butcher hasn't: lay it breast-down, snip out the backbone along both sides with sturdy kitchen shears, flip and press firmly on the breastbone until it cracks and the bird lies flat.
- 2In a wide bowl whisk olive oil, crushed garlic, smoked paprika, coarse salt, lemon juice and zest, and a defiant amount of crushed chilli flakes — the dish's whole personality.
- 3Rub the marinade into both sides and into every fold of the skin, then leave the bird at least one hour at room temperature, or overnight covered in the fridge for deeper penetration.
- 4Heat the oven to 220°C with a heavy roasting tray inside, so the chicken hits a sizzling surface.
- 5Lay the chicken skin-up on the hot tray and weigh it down with a second heavy pan or a foil-wrapped brick — the authentic diavola press, which forces the skin into contact with the heat for maximum crispness.
- 6Roast 35–40 minutes until the skin is mahogany and a probe in the thigh near the bone reads 75°C.
- 7Rest ten minutes loosely tented with foil, carve through the joints, and serve with extra lemon wedges and the pan juices spooned over.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Calories 420 kcal
Protein 32 g
Carbs 18 g
Fat 20 g
Fiber 3 g
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
🥖 Crusty Italian bread
🍷 Dry Italian red (Chianti)
🧀 Extra Parmigiano
🫒 Extra-virgin olive oil
